Rajesh does not look at the brass sheet before he buys it. He lifts it, strikes it once with a knuckle, and listens. A clear high ring means high copper content and a good alloy. A dull thud means impurity, and he puts it down.
Peetal Nagri
Moradabad has been called the brass city for two centuries. Whole neighbourhoods are given to it: sheet cutters, spinners, hammerers, polishers, engravers. A single puja thali may pass through six pairs of hands before it leaves town.
Hammered, not stamped
The cheap thali is pressed from a die in a second. Rajesh's is hammered over a steel form, hundreds of small strikes that thicken the metal at the rim and leave a faint texture across the surface. Run a finger over it and you feel a landscape. That texture is the signature of a hand.
Polishing
By hand, with a cloth and a paste, in circles, for longer than seems reasonable. Machine buffing is faster and gives a mirror shine that dulls within a year. Hand polishing goes deeper into the metal and ages into a warm glow rather than a tarnish.
What to look for when you buy brass
Weight, first. A good diya is heavier than it looks. Then the ring: tap it and listen. Then the surface: a slight unevenness is a good sign, not a flaw. Finally the seams. A well-made kalash has none you can feel.
Care
Lemon and salt, or tamarind, once a month. Dry it completely. Never leave water standing in a brass vessel overnight. Treated well, a Moradabad thali outlives the person who bought it, which is rather the point.