Copper and Brass: Timeless Metals in the Heart of West Bengal….

Staff Reporter : Kolkata 16 October 2025: In West Bengal, the story of metal is as vibrant as the state itself. From the bustling streets of Kolkata to the industrial hubs of Durgapur, Howrah, Kharagpur, and the artisanal town of Bishnupur, copper and brass are being given new life every day. In small workshops and trading yards, artisans and recyclers transform discarded materials into objects of beauty and utility, keeping centuries-old traditions alive.
“Here, nothing goes to waste,” says Shyam Sundar, a brass craftsman in Kolkata. “Old utensils, railway wires, construction scrap — all of it is collected, melted, and reshaped into something useful again.” Much of this scrap flows through the city’s major stockyards along Liluah, Bara Bazar, and Netaji Subhash Bose Road, eventually reaching the Bhajrang Bali Maidan, the largest scrap market in the state, where traders and artisans connect supply with demand.
Copper and brass share a unique magic: unlike most materials, they never lose their properties, no matter how many times they are melted and remoulded. Wires that once carried electricity in a Kolkata apartment can be reborn as decorative plates, lamps, or utensils. Across the state, workshops and small-scale manufacturers have long recognized the value of working with these metals — not just for their aesthetic and functional qualities, but for their sustainability.
Humanity has used copper for over 10,000 years, and today, much of the copper and brass mined or recycled in the last century is still in use. Every artefact crafted in the hands of these West Bengal artisans tells a story: a story of tradition, ingenuity, and a metal that continues to shine, generation after generation.