Laxmi Bell Metal: Customised brassware steal the show

The shop showcases various kinds of statues of Gods and Goddesses like Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna, Lord Hanuman, elephant designs and many more exhibits that are handcrafted to perfection. Apart from these they also take up customised products according to the customers'choice. The prices range from Rs 200 and go up to Rs 25,000, based on the size and complexity of the item

The art of moulding brass metal into artistic forms is not everyone's cup of tea. But this artisan excels in making fabulous statues of Gods, Goddesses as well as different kinds of statues like elephants, horses, bullock cart and many more items, which drag everyone's attention to purchase these exquisite products.

Running this from the last 15 to 20 years, Dhani Ram Soni, the owner of Laxmi Bell Metal Handicrafts has mastered the art of making beautiful brass items at his hometown Madhya Pradesh. Talking to Bizz Buzz, he says, "I manufacture them in Madhya Pradesh and bring them to Hyderabad, wherein a huge demand is there for my items."

Dhani Ram is from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and has been redceived several honours, such as 'National Award', 'State Award' and 'Kalanidhi Award' for propagating his exquisite collection of handmade brass metal items.

The shop showcases various kinds of statues of Gods and Goddesses like Lakshmi, Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna, Lord Hanuman, elephant designs and many more exhibits that are handcrafted to perfection. Apart from these they also take up customised products according to the customers' choice. The prices range from Rs 200 and go up to Rs 25,000, based on the size and complexity of the item.

Dhani Ram Soni has showcased his items at various exhibitions and showrooms in the beginning of his business career and gained prominence in this market.

When the owner gets a personalised order, he crafts the pieces as per the customer's suggestions. He says, "To prepare a larger item, it takes up to 15 days. For smaller articles it takes much lesser time."

Being an artisan from many years, he works patiently to shape a product because he believes that every item should achieve its ultimate beauty and a proper finish so that he can sell the best products to the customers.

Selling antique pieces, God's statues and many other items has been a continuous process for the owner, but during the Covid pandemic, he faced challenges in terms of exporting the brass items in the market during the lockdown, which became a matter of huge concern.

He says, "During the lockdown period I went to my native place and started making the articles at home. I supplied a few items to my fellow shopkeepers also so that they can sell the items. There were several more obstacles in the business in terms of selling the products as all the shops were closed, which impacted the sale tremendously."

During peak lockdown, the shop was closed for one and a half years, which made living very difficult for the owner as it was the only livelihood he has. It was a great challenge for Dhani Ram to resume his business after seeing a steep fall in the sales.

For starting the business, initially he took a loan of Rs 2 lakh from bank, as the bank had this upper limit for small business loans. "It was quite easy to get a loan. The bank saw the type of work we do, the type of business we run and other details and then sanctioned a loan to us. Later, after the shop picked up sales, we repaid the loan gradually," says Dhani Ram.

According to him, if anyone wants to begin a startup, the person should learn the type of work they want to do properly. They should master the art and become perfect in the type of work in which they want to do business.

"After the person becomes perfect in the work, he/she should circulate their products at various places and also approach the government and make use of the entrepreneur friendly schemes. Also the government will help in setting up the business through various exhibitions and other forums where the products can be showcased to obtain more customers and become known in the city," he says and adds that cards should be prepared and circulated to make their exhibits as much known as possible.