Metal bowl makers (kansari) in an eastrn Odisha

The Village where anthropological fieldwork was under-taken among the metal bowl makers (Kansari) is a multi-caste, nucleated and a fairly large village consisting of 1787 households of which there are 242 metal bowl maker (Kansari) households. The village still retains several rural features although it is in close proximity to the capital city of Odisha in the district of Bhubaneswar and Puri. Since past, the village has the wide reputation of leading centre for the manufacture and trade of brass, copper and bell metal wares, both inside and outside the state. The several caste groups inhabiting the village were interring dependent economically and otherwise. The inter caste relationship in the village is based more on complementarily than on contradistinctions. Studies on peasantry have been made par excellence, the major concern being with the groups of cultivators. The non cultivator dimension representing an analytically marginal category consisting of crafts based specialist groups and non craft groups have not been studied adequately. Consequent upon the impact of economic modernization a comprehensive understanding of the peasantry needs further consideration in respect of the various craft groups who pursue their pre industrial craft technology for basic subsistence and at the same time maintain intrinsic interrelationship with peasants in economic, political, social and religious and ideological spheres. The artisan groups besides fulfilling the needs of the agricultural sector have advanced in modernizing and reinforcing their mode of production in order to secure better opportunities for survival.