Uttarayani Fair losing traditional soul as hill artisans struggle

Bageshwar: The historic Uttarayani Fair of Bageshwar, once a major platform for Kumaon's traditional crafts, is steadily losing its distinct identity, with only a handful of artisan stalls surviving amid an influx of mass-produced goods.For generations, the fair sustained hill artisans and showcased skills ranging from copper utensil-making to iron tools and ringal (hill bamboo) crafts. This year, however, products such as copperware from Kharahi Patti, traditional musical instruments, ringal baskets, household items like doka and mats, and iron kadai and agricultural tools from Lohaghat were confined to a few scattered stalls.Artisans blamed changing consumer preferences, cheap machine-made alternatives, rising raw material costs and lack of sustained institutional support for the decline, forcing younger generations to abandon ancestral trades.Govind Ram, a 65-year-old ringal craftsman, said plastic products had replaced traditional baskets due to lower prices. "Earlier, dozens of ringal artisans came here and we returned with good earnings. Now only two or three remain, and most goods go unsold," he said.Iron craftsman Rahul Kumar of Lohaghat, assisted by his father Ummed Kumar, said handmade kadai and tools priced between Rs 400 and Rs 10,000 were losing out to cheaper machine-made products. "Raw material is expensive and everything is labour-intensive. Customers choose lighter, cheaper kadai even if they don't last long," he said.Another iron artisan, Anand Prasad, linked falling sales to the decline in hill farming. "Earlier, tools like hoes and sickles sold in large numbers. With farming reducing, especially after free ration schemes, demand has collapsed," he said.Local resident Deep Bhatt said Lohaghat tool stalls were once so crowded that buyers placed orders a year in advance. "That tradition is disappearing fast," he said.Copper artisan Ankit Tamta said soaring input costs and weak marketing support had made survival difficult. "Copper prices have jumped sharply, but customers want cheap goods and avoid handmade products," he said, adding that a neighbouring incense-making stall shut midway due to poor sales.The shrinking presence of traditional stalls has raised concerns about the future of livelihoods linked to the Uttarayani Fair, long seen as a cultural and economic bridge between generations.Officials said measures were being taken. Chandramohan Rawat, general manager of the District Industries Centre, said artisans were being provided free platforms at fairs outside Uttarakhand and local products were being promoted online.