On the banks of the Daya river, 15-odd km from Bhubaneswar, the day begins at the crack of dawn in Balakati. The narrow alleys of the village resonate with the sound of the rhythmic hammering of molten bell metal or kansa — an alloy of copper and tin. Once associated with ritualistic practices, the tradition and skill that have been transmitted through generations have hardly been documented.

Over the last month, three young art practitioners — Disharee Mathur from Rajasthan, Shillong-based Kirti Kumari and Ritaban Ghosh from West Bengal — have collated historical facts and folklore, statistics, and first-person accounts to document the intricacies of the art form and the lives of these artists.