Mythical brass and bell metal figures of Parvati and Child, Mandala of Vajratora, Urdhva Nataraja, Vishnu with Shree and Pusthi, folk horse and elephant statues, Nakshi jug and ghoti were gleaming under the spotlights of the exhibition venue.

Thronged by at least 700 visitors each day and titled 'A Splendid Tradition', the exposition organised by The American Cent of US embassy and Bengal Gallery began on May 24 and was held at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhanmondi road 27.

The event was a huge success for creative workers bent on reviving this hand-made metal ware using a 2000-year old technique called the Wax Method despite the fact that this craft, a part of world heritage is dwindling away with competition from plastic and aluminium statuettes, said Sukanta Banik, proprietor of Dhamrai Metal Craft, who puts in all effort to carry on the 200-year-old family business.

"The main problem for developing this sector is the crisis of raw materials, which we used to get from the ship breaking yard in Chittagong that has almost stopped," Banik said. "With increasing capital and financial problems, small entrepreneurs are in a lot of trouble finding investors," he added.

Most of the craftsman at the exhibition said that hundreds of kilograms of bronze and brass are trafficked to India daily, and due to the scarcity of raw materials, the price increases and the finished products are dear.

The craftsmen spoke of their lifestyle in Dhamrai and the process of making these exquisite pieces of art.

There are mainly four stages of making metal craft - -the traditional lost wax, clay casting, sand casting and hammering.

The most conventional is the lost wax technique -- an ancient art that dates back 20 centuries. In this method, bee wax is mixed with paraffin that in turn is used to make the statues. A high-watt electricity bulb is placed in boxes to help keep the wax soft and easy to mould.

The craftsmen make the different parts of the statue parts with metal. The product is decorated after wax is used to join the parts.

The next step is casting the mould. Around 100-120 kg of metal is cast at a time. After the brass or bronze has been added to a container in which the raw unheated metal is placed, the mould placed inside the oven is fired at a high temperature. Finally the finishing touches are given.

The finished products, which come out, are extremely artistic. Many of them on display at the exhibition and most definitely the exclusive chess set priced over Tk one lakh were appreciated by the craft connoisseurs as simply marvellous!

The craftsmen said that if the banks can come up with a micro credit schemes for artists of Dhamrai, this art in Bangladesh would never die.

Kh. Tazmi Noor, manager of audio vision of Bengal Foundation said the resale value of these bronze and brass craft and cutlery items is high. "I still hear physicians say that when acidity occurs, they suggest that patients use plates made of brass and other elements called Kasha to take meals."

"The brass items have certain secretions which helps lower acidity of the stomach," Tazmi added.

Sukanta also said that India and Nepal can be the biggest markets for this industry and Bangladesh can earn a lot of foreign currency.

If the Archaeology Department grants permission and necessary export clearance that consumes a lot of time, the business will grow, giving positive results to both the craftsmen and the country.