A tradition that is now rare

These wandering artisans in Delhi and the National Capital Region are perhaps the practitioners of a dying tradition. They make traditional sil battas (grinding stones) by hand.

These workers carve granite or black stone into a sil (flat stone base) and batta (cylindrical roller). Once made, these traditional grinding stones can help slow-ground chutneys and masalas that release essential oils, unlike electric mixers.

However, like everything that harks back to the past, this art too is becoming rarer by the days. Nothing is constant in this world, as they say. So too these traditional hand-carved grinding stones.