In Chhatarpur district, cob-batte, hursa and chakri made of stone were earlier available in every house, but due to increasing mechanization today the market of cob-batte has reduced. Rajpal, a member of this generation who has been in the business of stone slabs and chakri for generations, is now suffering losses.
Mahoba resident Rajpal while talking to Local 18 tells that we have been making utensils like Silbatte, Chakri, Hursa, Belan from stone for generations. For years, he has been setting up his shop in the regional fairs here. Earlier there was profit in this stone business but now due to increasing mechanization people are taking less interest in buying stone utensils.
Demand for chakri decreased in villages
Rajpal says that there was a mix-up in every house. Now most of the people do not grind masala in silbatta. Earlier, people of cities and villages used to buy Silbatta, but now this business has become limited to rural areas only. If farmers’ crops are good then their business flourishes, otherwise it remains slow. Earlier there used to be demand for Chakri in rural areas, but now the demand has reduced even in villages.
These are the prices of Chakri, Silbatta
Talking about the price of Silbatta, both Silbatta and Silbatta are available for 200 to 300 rupees. Whereas the price of Hursa (Chakla) is Rs 100. Apart from this, the price of Chakri is Rs 400.
It takes hard work to make stone slabs
Rajpal says that the biggest problem is in moving such heavy goods from here to there. This business demands a lot of hard work. This work takes a lot of hard work. There is also a lot of freight cost involved in transportation.
Silbatta is made from stone coming from Panna mine. Also they bring smooth stones from Gwalior. Stone does not come to us from Rajasthan.
FIRST PUBLISHED: December 22, 2024, 17:53 IST
