Gharuan Craftsmen: Carriers of heritage

The village, Gharuan, in the Mohali district of Punjab, is known for its artisans who craft cooking and serving utensils using the metal popularly called ‘Sarb Loh’ in Punjab. Such utensils used to be popular in every household in the past; but now-a-days, these hand-made ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils have been replaced by the mass-produced machine-made ‘steel’ utensils, which are comparatively cheaper, lighter weight and easier to handle; the ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils have been further marginalised by ‘use-and-throw,’ much cheaper options. Yet, the artisan of the Gharuan village continue to keep the craft alive to serve the Nihangs, who are the main consumers of ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils and other objects as a tradition of Guru Gobind Singh ji. The Nihangs, a sect among the Sikhs, take pride in carrying the tradition of the Guru truly. They wear traditional long robes of blue colour, rear, and ride horses and carry traditional weapons like swords, spears, and chakram or war quoit, etc., made of ‘Sarb Loh’; Like nomads they keep moving from one to the other place, although they have their settlements too.

When Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa in 1699, he used a ‘Sarb Loh’ bowl and ‘Khanda’ (a double-edged sword) to prepare ‘Amrit’ (the nectar of immortality). At that time, ‘Sarb Loh’ vessels were commonly used for preparing Langar (community meals) and for cooking and dining in ordinary households. Following the tradition of robes, utensils and lifestyle as a Maryada, the Nihangs have continued to maintain the need for and relevance of the ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils. The artisans living in Gharuan village too have continued the centuries old tradition and technique, struggling to fight the market and popular trend pressures.

It is said that the seventh Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Har Rai, had stayed in Gharuan on his way to Kiratpur and blessed the village for the Sarb Loh craft. According to the oral folk narratives, the Guru was presented a ‘Sarb Loh’ bowl by the elder of the ‘Jhiunt’ (a sub-caste) family of the artisans. The Gurudwara named Deg Sahib, also called Gurudwara Patshahi Satvin (seventh) in the village, is dedicated to the Seventh Guru’s visit. According to the folk narratives, even the bowl used by Guru Gobind Singh Ji for preparing Amrit at the time of creating Khalsa was crafted by the artisans of Gharuan. 

During those days, the Sarb Loh utensils were essential for those in rugged or mobile professions like military. Since Guru Gobind Singh ji enrolled the masses in his army who were mostly on move and in war, the ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils were the best choice due to their affordability, durability, easy maintenance, heat retention, and versatility. Moreover, they helped replenish the body’s iron levels. These utensils, made from a metal that was cheaper, stronger, and less fragile than the other metals and easy to clean, scrubbing with sand or dust, were more functional than decorative.

Valued for durability, heat retention, and versatility, iron cookware in common households had already spread globally; in Punjab and neighbouring regions, ‘Sarb Loh’ wok, griddle, spatula, and ladle for cooking; bucket, and pots for drawing and storing water from wells; and bowl and spoon for serving food were popular in common households. Degs (large bowls), Cauldron and other utensils of bigger size were used to cook for larger gatherings. Following the development of steel-an alloy of iron, carbon, chromium, nickel, and manganese- and its use in industrial production of cookware, the utensils made from ‘Sarb Loh’ and other metals like Copper, Brass, and Bronze gradually disappeared from the common households in Punjab and other parts of India beginning the second half of twentieth century.

Consequently, the demand for the work of ‘Sarb Loh’ artisans and their income declined. Due to the ‘hard labour but low returns’ in this work, the younger generation largely turned away from this craft. In such circumstances, the Nihang Singhs and the ‘Gharuan’ craftsmen deserve appreciation and attention for upholding the ‘Sarb Loh’ tradition. Recently, a trend is setting in favour of Sarb Loh utensils with a belief of their medicinal relevance. However, the history of ‘Sarb Loh’ vessels is not linked to medicinal reasons; rather, it is associated with human innovation and the practical application of these discoveries in everyday life. Literally, ‘Sarb Loh’ means “pure” or “unalloyed” iron; but, in reality, it is an alloy of iron and carbon. Since the percentage of carbon in the alloy can be as low as less than 1 per cent, it is called ‘Sarb Loh’ or all iron. Practically, pure iron is too soft to use it for making utensils and other tools. The carbon in iron adds the essential hardness and tensile strength to it, ensuring that the cookware retains its shape when used. Thus, in metallurgy, ‘Sarb Loh’ is wrought iron, i.e., a low-carbon alloy: due to its low alloy properties, it signifies purity and has been used metaphorically in some sacred texts as a reference to God. The evolution and history of ‘Sarb Loh’ utensils is a long journey-spanning from unique vessels made of rare metal “iron from the sky” to the commonplace industrial goods made of “iron from the earth”: the discovery and use of iron began between 5000 and 3000 BCE, when the only source of the metal was meteorites falling from the sky. Consequently, thus produced iron was rarer and more valuable than any other metal then, and the objects made from it were used only by royal families.  Iron became common only when the metal began to be extracted from terrestrial minerals and rocks. By 1200 BCE, smelting techniques had been developed, which transformed the “metal from the sky” into a “metal from the earth”. 

But, due to the secrecy surrounding the techniques, iron objects yet remained accessible only to the elite. After 1200 BCE, when ‘blacksmiths’ began mass-producing iron utensils using metal-smelting and forging technologies, these items became accessible to the lower-middle classes. The increased availability of iron and the large-scale production of goods with it shifted the perception of these vessels from symbols of ‘opulence and grandeur’ to mere ‘utilitarian objects’. Since the Sikhs and soldiers of Guru Gobind Singh Ji largely belonged to the working class and were constantly engaged in warfare, they used iron vessels not as symbols of a ‘sacred or elite’ status, but because they were affordable, durable, practical, and easy to clean. The Nihangs have continued the tradition as Maryada and the Gharuan craftsmen have served them well. The governments should recognise the craft skills (intangible heritage) and its objects (tangible heritage) by arranging exhibitions, showcasing the objects in emporiums, recognising the craftsmen for their skills and providing the objects GST relief, etc.

The writer is a former Professor at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and former Vice-Chairman of INTACH; Views presented are personal.