COIMBATORE: While recession did not put goldsmiths from Bengal out of work in Coimbatore, the artisans fear that fall in demand for gold due to soaring prices may just cost them their job.
Subendhu Paul, who is running a smithery at Thyagi Kumaran Street here told Express that the skyrocketing price of gold had left many goldsmiths going without orders. The present trend only spells doom on their livelihood. If it continues, they would be forced to return to their base in West Bengal.
According to a rough estimate, there are about 25,000 goldsmiths hailing from Bengal living at Edayar Street, Raja Street, Thyagi Kumaran Street, Sukrawarpet, Marakkara Nanjappa Gounder Street, Sundaram Street, Ramakrishna Puram Ponniarajapuram, Selvapuram and Chockampudur.
Ajoy Magi, secretary of Bengali Workers Association now renamed as Nethaji Bengali Welfare Association told Express that they came down south more specifically to Coimbatore because of the demand for goldsmiths.
“Many of us, who were working in Mumbai and other places had to move to Coimbatore in 1995 because we were offered better pay by jewellery shop owners here. However, quite a few had made Coimbatore their home in the mid80s,” he said.
At that time the pay given to goldsmiths in Coimbatore were not only better than what was being paid in Bengal but more than what was given in Mumbai and other metro cities. Still these artisans were cheap labour for jewellery owners here. For the local artisans were asking for as much as Rs 10,000 while they had to pay only Rs 5,000 to artisans from Bengal. However, fall in demand of gold jewellery and the subsequent loss in work for the artisans would soon put them out of work.
Express spotted a few Bengali goldsmiths at a smithery located at Ramakrishnapuram while they were busy making necklace. They said they learnt the art of jewellery designing from their parents as they belong to goldsmith family. Binoy (24), of Midnapore district, said that he had been working here for the past eight years and visited his native twice a year.