Moradabad: The City That Sounds Like a Hammer
You hear Moradabad before you see its craft. The tapping starts near Pili Kothi and does not stop. Brass sheets arrive by the tonne at workshops where artisans called thatheras beat, lathe and etch them into export-grade bowls, hookahs, lamps and trays. The thathera tradition of Moradabad and Jandiala Guru was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014, which matters less to the craftsmen than the morning order from a buyer in Frankfurt.
