Why we don't have a dedicated knife shop in India?

[Bruno22]

Hello everyone,
My main question is why do we not have a nice dedicated knife shop any where in India? Is it that we don't consume so many knives? Or is it something to do with the legal system. We do have a fair amount of Gun shops. Some of these shops do sell some knifes no doubt. Why do we not have any good knife makers (custom and commercial)in India? We have painters and sculptors and musicians. Knife making is an art too. India was a land of great knifes and swords. Every time I see a small shop in a mall with a swiss knife display it gets me going. If we did have a nice knife shop selling good street legal knifes and other related stuff, would it work? Would the knives work out too expensive after all duties are paid. There are some great mid range and low cost knives available from some well known brands like Buck, CRKT and others. All your views are welcome? And if someone knows of a Great knife shop tucked away in some part of India do let me know cause I would love to visit it.

[dr.jayakumar]

yes,we can have knife shops without 'knives'.as you said ,will be nice to own all that mini axe and stuff.i have 2 swiss knives .been searching too,so far no luck.

[kalashnikovcult]

we do have knife shops brother, somewhere in a city , but to tell u the best ones can be found at places like anjar in kuchch state, Sri Huzoor Sahib Nanded maharashtra, and some others too, we have unmatched knife and sword makers , dedicated tribes like Sikligars , they are into illegal gun making too and now with lathe machines they are making duplicates so well that its hard to recognize for an ameteur buyer.

The tribe is criminalised since their art is not appreciated and utilised in a positive way.

-- Tue May 11, 2010 23:19 --

we do have knife shops brother, somewhere in a city , but to tell u the best ones can be found at places like anjar in kuchch state, Sri Huzoor Sahib Nanded maharashtra, and some others too, we have unmatched knife and sword makers , dedicated tribes like Sikligars , they are into illegal gun making too and now with lathe machines they are making duplicates so well that its hard to recognize for an ameteur buyer.

The tribe is criminalised since their art is not appreciated and utilised in a positive way.

[Bruno22]

Thanks for the info. Hope someone can show some samples of these knifes.
I also mean regular every day carry type of knives. There does not seem to be too many companies producing anything good.
In terms of Mumbai I think I know of every knife available on sale and where it is located. As for the rest of India I am truly unaware. Would love to travel to these places and seek out some nice examples of these knifes someday.
Bruno

[choombak]

One primary reason I think is we don't require a knife for survival, and meat does not constitute our primary food. There may be other reasons too. For cutting and similar odd jobs, a small utility knife works as good as a Spyderco.

-Amarendra

[Moin.]

Thanks for the info. Hope someone can show some samples of these knifes.
I also mean regular every day carry type of knives. There does not seem to be too many companies producing anything good.
In terms of Mumbai I think I know of every knife available on sale and where it is located. As for the rest of India I am truly unaware. Would love to travel to these places and seek out some nice examples of these knifes someday.
Bruno

where Bruno, I know the arms stores at Crawford Market stcok a few, Wildcraft and Basecamp stock a few muelas and a few occasional folders at Heera Panna.?

Thanks
Moin.

[jhoonday]

In this situation, I think one reason is that there is no good sources or manufacturers of knives. If you are very willing to engage in a collection of this stuff, then why don't you engage yourself too in that business? I am sure knives collectors will come to your store and create a strong bond with you as business owner.

[Bruno22]

Well I guess its a long and dusty road for India in terms of knifes and their manufacture.

[dr.jayakumar]

knives are seen but dedication is hardly seen!oops sorry to say this.

[Indi.Astra]

If I may chime in, being new here:

Colonial laws that branded talented knife & sword making tribes as criminals; thus effectively reducing their social standing.
Apathy to such hobbies as knife collecting due to economic reasons and the race to come up in life by the majority middle class.
Larger populace in cities not very much the out-doorsy type while the rural folks continue to have their sharp tools and not needing speciality knives.
Popular media, politicians and law makers with their fear of armed citizens curbing knives and such tools to be easily available for sale.

Rampuri knives come to my mind; bollywood's image of a petty criminal brandishing rampuris have brought disrepute to such fine knives. Also, the petty criminals learnt from bollywood how to use them and aggrevated the situation.

These I think might be the reasons for not having dedicated knife shops everywhere as the market is in infancy compared to other countries.

[Bruno22]

Very true . Also scouting is not all that popular in India. In the 'Scouts' youngster are taught the safety and importance of a 'Scout knife'. If you visit the Bharat Scouts and Guides site http://www.bsgindia.org/ you will see that part of a scouts equipment is a knife.
Parents rarely take time out to educate kids about the safe handling of a knife. Thats how most accidents happen.
The knife has to slowly regain its reputation in India.