Dilshad Hussain: India's First Brass Artisan to Win the Padma Shri

The hands of 75-year-old Dilshad Hussain convey the narrative of a lifetime spent working with brass. 

He practices the intense brass-engravement also known as Marodi in his workshop in Mooradabad’s Kaitwali Masjid Gali.  It's the skill of hand-engraving intricate patterns onto metal surfaces.  In 2023, he was the first brass craftsman in India to get the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.

"PM Modi liked an artwork done on a black pot, and he wished to gift it to Germany. We were enthralled that our artwork had received recognition."

Hussain learned how to do his job in the conventional manner.  As a child, he watched his grandfather's hands move across brass surfaces. He absorbed technique through observation rather than formal instruction.  Later, his uncle Kallu Ansar taught him the finer points of the art.

In 2022, something happened that changed the course of his life.  Hussain had a stall at an exhibition in Lucknow's Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was going to be. 

There was a black pot on display that had hand-engraved traditional motifs all over it.  The Prime Minister paused, examined intently, and inquired how it was done.

A hand-engraved brass matka showcasing traditional Moradabad craftsmanship by Dilshad Hussain (Source: PIB)

Hussain got a call three days later. "PM Modi liked an artwork done on a black pot, and he wished to gift it to Germany," he told ANI News during the G20 Summit last year. "We were enthralled that our artwork had received recognition." At the G7 Summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was given a brass vessel with a nickel coating.

The effect was immediate.  "Matka" became much more popular after the honourable Prime Minister presented it to the German Chancellor. "The popularity of 'matka' has increased many times since the prime minister chose to present it to the German chancellor. Now I keep getting orders," he told PTI. 

PM Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the G7 Summit, 2022. (Source: The Hindu)

After decades of working in the brass city of India, Hussain found his craft suddenly shining on the world stage.

Despite fulfilling commissions for the Prime Minister's Office and foreign dignitaries, he still works in cramped quarters, feeling embarrassed when officials visit his modest home-cum-workshop.

His individual success exists against a backdrop of collective struggle. 

An IWMF report found that despite his Padma Shri status, Hussain acknowledges the brass industry is facing serious challenges. 

Environmental regulations, changing market demands, and competition from cheaper alternatives have made it increasingly challenging for traditional artisans to sustain their businesses. Many workshops that once thrived are now struggling to survive.

"Today our art would be witnessed by foreign delegates. We hope that it will promote our art and we will receive more orders."

When Hussain participated in the G20 Summit's Crafts Bazaar at Bharat Mandapam last year, he understood the opportunity extended beyond his own stall. "Today our art would be witnessed by foreign delegates. We hope that it will promote our art and we will receive more orders," he told ANI News. 

His use of "our" was deliberate, acknowledging the thousands of artisans whose livelihoods depend on the craft's survival.

This feeling of shared duty motivates him to work with younger craftspeople.  Hussain regularly teaches brass nakashi to apprentices, including women.  He believes that informal training alone won't keep the tradition alive. 

While appreciating government initiatives like the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana, he told ANI News what's truly needed is infrastructure.

"I would also request the government to open centres where we can impart training to develop this skill, as there is a shortage of craftsmen who prepare these kinds of artworks."

His ideas are practical. Training centres may teach these skills the right way, grant out credentials, and assist young people in getting actual jobs in traditional crafts.  Without this help, all the knowledge and skills that have been built up over hundreds of years could be lost in only one generation.

The brass vessels that leave Hussain's workshop now carry dual significance. They're still art, with patterns on the surfaces that have been passed down through the years.  But they've also become presents for diplomats and cultural ambassadors for Indian workmanship on the world stage.

Each one represents not just Hussain's skill but the collective knowledge of Moradabad's entire brass community.

Today, Hussain continues his daily work in Kaitwali Masjid Gali. His hands move with the same precision they always have, tapping chisels against brass to create patterns that connect past and present. The awards have brought visibility, but the fundamental work remains unchanged. 

The future of this tradition relies on how much practical help it gets.  Hussain has requested suitable workplaces, formal training facilities, and means for young artists to create long-lasting careers without compromising the traditional techniques that define brass nakashi.

For now, the sound of metal on metal continues to echo in his workshop, each strike preserving a craft that has defined Moradabad for centuries.