The last artisans: Can Rupganj's 200-year-old amulet casing craft be saved?

In the quiet alleys of Chorab, Tan Mushri, Bhingrab and Dakshinbagh, tucked away in Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj, the rhythmic clang of hammers still echoes. But it’s a fading song. For two centuries, this corner of Narayanganj has been the beating heart of Bangladesh’s tawiz-dani or maduli, amulet casing craft. Once a thriving trade that clothed sacred verses in brass, copper, and silver, it now gasps for breath caught between rising metal prices, vanishing faith, and a generation turning its back on ancestral hammers. In the 1980s and 90s, amulets weren’t just spiritual accessories, they were lifelines. Written by hakims, pirs, and kabirajs, these talismans promised protection from disease, misfortune, and evil eyes. They carried verses from the Quran, sacred...