Amritsar’s kirpan industry losing its cutting edge
AT DAGGERS DRAWN Cheaper machinemade Chinese daggers flood market, rendering local units out of business and affecting source of income of hundreds of skilled workers, who have been engaged by the industry in the holy city for decades
The makers of traditional handcrafted kirpans in Amritsar are losing their cutting edge to an invasion of cheap, machine-made Chinese rip-offs.
This Punjab city known for the highest seat of Sikhism, the Golden Temple, was once a hub of factories making kirpans, or knives that Sikhs are mandated to carry by their faith.
The first electricity-driven kirpan factory was set up in the 1940s. Since no licence was required for making kirpans in Punjab, the number grew rapidly. Jobs were generated and factories churned out 1,000 knives a day in the 1990s. But the flourishing business and source of income for hundreds of skilled workers floundered under the onslaught of Chinese daggers — attractive, cheap and available in bulk.
“The competition has taken its toll. It is tough for local manufacturers to keep up with it,” said Rajkumar Mehra, who manages the three-decade-old Sardar Kirpan House.
Mehra has been running the shop after owner Jagdish Singh died a few years ago. Singh’s sons live abroad and “we have not shut it down” to honour the owner’s wishes, he said. There is no dearth of skilled workers, machinery and raw material to make Amritsari kirpans, arguably way better than the Chinese dagger. But the local variety has lost out to the imported knives. SHRINKING NUMBERS The number of manufacturing units shrunk from hundreds to about 30 today. The majority of factories — mostly single-room units — are on the stretch from Sultanwind Gate to the Kulfi Wali Gali. Each unit employs three workers, at the most. These skilled metalsmiths forge a unique bond with their craft.
“We are in a fix … we know the slump in the industry, but we can’t leave this trade. Kirpan-making is the only skill we have,” said Kewal Krishan Mehra, who has been polishing and buffing knives for four decades.
The artisans make iron, steel and wood kirpans, with blades ranging from three to 15 inches. Talwars or swords, two feet or more, are also made.
The price of kirpans range from ₹50 to ₹2,500 — determined by the metal and length, besides the quality of the handle and sheath. The factories cater to orders from retail shops, non-resident Indians, and organisers of religious fairs.
Lovely Sagar, who makes copper sheaths and etches them with Minakari carving, said Amritsari kirpans are time and labour intensive.
“We made 80 kirpans a day at times, but there is no fixed figure now,” artisan Mehra said. They wait days on end without an order. That’s a fry cry from the 1,000 kirpans the factories churned out every day until Operation Bluestar, a controversial military strike synonymous with the Sikh militancy of Punjab in the 1980s.
Weapons were confiscated and knife factories were closed for six months after Bluestar in 1984.
“Today Amritsar is left with barely 40 units, including small and big factories. There are six units in the Sultanwind area, a few in East Mohan Nagar and Dana Mandi, and on the 100 Feet Road,” said Daljit Singh Niku, a factory owner in Sultanwind.
“They work independently. There is no association. The industry is divided between manufacturers and retailers. Each has its own turnover as prices vary from production to the shop counter.” That explains why it is difficult to get a collective turnover figure of the factories. SEEKING GOVT HELP Niku said the Punjab government should step forward to revive the industry by enrolling unemployed youth. “The Chinese sword import should be restricted.”Once crafted for battles, the kirpan lost its martial status over the years and has become a handicraft for ceremonial wear. The product is popular at Sikh festivals of Maghi and Baisakhi. Apart from being a symbol of Sikhism, the kirpan is important at marriages.
Amritsari kirpans find takers outside Punjab during Ram Navami, Muharram and Diwali. Amritsar has supplied silver or gold-plated kirpans to the army. It makes for an apt farewell memento, too.
Ashwini Kumar, the owner of Guru Kirpa Kirpan House, said the demand is for kirpans that cost between ₹100 and ₹600. Antiques cost more than ₹20,000.
The overseas market has shrunk too. Law forbids export of sharp-edged weapons, but they find their way to unlikely markets in Uganda and Cyprus.
Baljeet Singh, a 50-year-old shopkeeper near the Golden Temple, has not given up hope yet. The attraction for Chinese daggers is temporary and the product will eventually lose because of its inferior quality, said the man selling kirpans since he was 20.