In the last two articles, we discussed Kansa’s creation and history, along with the health benefits that it provides us. We also went into depth about the industry’s needs and the material conditions of Kansa workers around India. In this series’ concluding article, I wish to explore the modern discourse about climate, sustainability, and its relationship with Kansa. Apart from that, I also want to talk about how Kansa can be incorporated into a modern lifestyle. Including our busy schedules and fast-paced careers.
Part 3: Is Kansa A Sustainable Alternative?
Most households around India and even the world seems to be enamore by plastic and other newer materials like ceramic. Traditional metals like Kansa are currently being use less and less, despite their health and aesthetic superiority. This, apart from cultural disadvantages, has harsh environmental consequences as well.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, from the inception of plastic in 1950. Annual global plastic production had increased dramatically from 2 million to 380 million tonnes a year in 2015. Scientists and researchers have already warned that if plastic consumption and its dumping continue at the current pace. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fishes. India, on the other hand, is responsible for generating 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Out of which 40 percent remains uncollected, as per the recently published study by Un-Plastic Collective (UPC). It is a voluntary multi-stakeholder initiative co-founded by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). And WWF-India to help eliminate plastic pollution in nature and move towards a circular economy.
However, plastic is not the only contender here that we have to deal with. Even ceramic contributes to a large amount of non-biodegradable waste that is hard to recycle. Ceramic, unlike Kansa, is prone to breaking frequently.
The World Of Ceramics
According to a 2014 report, the global ceramic market production stood at 13 billion square meters in terms of volume. Everyone has been talking about segregating plastics and other materials at the source and otherwise. Still, there is no account of how users can dispose of their broken ceramic wares or how the ceramic waste of a demolish building is manage, which is a common feature nowadays. With Pollution Control Board getting stricter with every passing year, this inert waste was increasingly causing a menace. Plastic can be recycled many times. Even though it takes millions of years for plastic to decompose, it does decompose (not to forget bio-plastics), while ceramic remains for an even longer time or perhaps forever. That is what archaeology has shown us. It has not been recycled, only dumped from one place to another.
Ceramic can also stain, get chip, and have other problems that remove its capacity from being reuse for a long time. Kansa, on the other hand, can be pass on from generation to generation. Cleaning it with a citric substance can make its shine last for a very long time. Thus, the longevity of Kansa makes it an extremely sustainable metal.
Aesthetic Properties And Merits
Kansa’s aesthetic properties, which is a form of bronze, can incorporate it into a modern household with ease. Bronze is an aesthetically pleasing material that grows more radiant over the years due to its chemical makeup properties. Developing an incrustation title a “patina” through oxidation and years of use, this change is typically consider of high ornamental value. Bronze created from copper alloys has bactericidal properties that can eliminate the issue of bacteria growth almost completely. Critical studies in the U.S. and Britain reveal that bacteria on copper alloy surfaces like Kansa are 99.9% eliminate after two hours at the latest. This proves that Kansa is a very “clean” metal, preventing the growth of bacteria on its surface and protecting the food eat on Kansaware from bacteria that could be harmful to the person who consumes it.
Apart from being environmentally sustainable, Kansa is also consider to be valuable property because of its prestige value, durability, quality, and above all, its material resale value even after breakage. Till recently, next to gold and silver ornaments, bell and brass metal articles have been consider valuable household wealth. So when a person is investing in Kansa, they are bringing new tableware into their homes but rather a source of wealth that they can get in the future.
An Integral Part Of Religion
Kansaware is important in rituals as well as in the celebration of different festivals. Apart from these utilitarian and socio-religious bell metal items, instruments like Taal (cymbal used in socio-religious functions) are also preapre with Kansa because of its resonant qualities. From temple bells to cymbals, Kansa’s beautiful sounds are not replicate by any other metal. Kansa is also being use in interior decoration.
Modern, urban households have also accepted the sheer beauty of the traditional metal that enhances the aesthetics of their homes, through interior decorations items like small statues, kanh (bell used in office, educational institutions), photo frame, the frame of looking glass, tiffin box, badges, and decorative items like a banana tree, bunch of nuts, pen stands, flower vases, animal and bird figures are also some other interesting products of the industry. The industry also makes some ornaments like bangle (a bracelet or anklet), chain (an ornament arranged a series of links in a line), earrings (an ornament for the ear, kanbala) and pendants (an ornament longing on the neck, latkan).
Kansa truly is a versatile metal that is severely underrate. Once our households’ glory, they are now hid under our apathy and desire to incorporate the shallow standards of “modernity” into our families. In this series, I have tried to bring attention to a metal that is consider “forgotten.”
What Does Ayurveda Says About Kansa?
Unlike many other metals that might seem “convenient,” Kansa offers Ayurvedic health benefits that are unparalleled. From facilitating digestion to sharpening our intellects, from protecting us from bacteria to balancing our doshas, Kansa is a metal that, if used regularly, makes our health and our lives much better.
Kansa artisans, or Kansaris, are struggling in the face of government apathy and decreasing demand. With the disappearance of guilds and children moving away for better livelihoods, they are at the risk of losing their community heritage altogether. So, when you buy Kansa, you not only buy a product but rather support a community that is striving to keep a tradition alive. You are making a community self-reliant, being a catalyst towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
And last but not least, Kansa is a big step towards environmental sustainability. Along with a significant resale value, Kansa also has an advantage in using generation after generation, unlike plastic or ceramic.
Kansa’s benefits are infinite. It deserves to be brought out from the shadows and given a place of importance in the commercial market.
As Peter Drucker said, “the best way to predict a future is to create it.” By buying Kansa, you are creating a future that is self-reliant, sustainable, and healthy.