sounds like the rivets are of lesser diameter than the holes in the tang.
is there enough old mastic left to remelt it by warming the grip? put it in a plastic bag & immerse in boiling water for a while if you want to try. works on nepali khukuris...not sure of the formulation of the indian equivalent to nepali laha cutler's cement tho, which is made from tree resin, bees wax, dung, charcoal dust, brick dust, etc. - and stinks to high heaven when you remelt it, say don't try it while the wife is at home or use one of her good pots. and ventilate the area. you can find other less smelly versions for 'topping up' by googling for 'cutlers cement'.
you may also need to alternatively remove the rivets and use larger diameter replacements. or both...
nice sword, by the way.
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