It was summer in Zura. I was at work with my tools in hand. The soft tinkle and the echoing bells rang through the room. As the chime rang, voices from the past echoed through my mind. I remembered my father. He came from Sindh, now in Pakistan, and was prominent in the bell making community. Bell making at the time was not considered a craft. It was made for the pastoral communities. The cattle could be heard a mile away.
It grew to a passion. I worked on various sounds. Going the distance to create tools for myself to work with as well. At the time there were only three of us. Over the forty-five years in trade, I taught many and spread the craft. Bhuj, Nakhatrana and Kunariya now house bell makers as well.
As work transcends from the local market to reach a broader audience and as I demonstrate my craft in many exhibitions across the country, I strive to create something distinctive. To travel the world, to create sounds, to ring bells, this is what I dream.
