-Sanya

Bangles : A Hand Ornament

Bangles are a type of hand ornament worn by Indian women, also called kangan or chudi in hindi. They come in various colors and depict the symbol of matrimony. A single bangle which is worn by a man is called a kada usually in the religion of sikhs. Bangles in India are very much popular and with growing fashion trends. Today they have become highly popular with their various designs. With the changing times the bangles are not just made in a circular shape with glass but even are made of various materials and can be found in many shapes such as round, rectangular, oval, etc. Bangles are worn in pairs, one on both arms, bangles are colorful, beautiful, and also enhance the beauty of women who wear them. The materials used to make bangles are gold, silver, wood, ferrous metals, plastic, rubber, glass and many other. Bangles have been a part of the Indian culture for many centuries, but the new trendy bangles are more versatile than even before. But the real deal is the glass bangles which are a pious symbol of matrimony.

-Pragya

Bangles - The Indian marriage ornament

Varied in material and decoration, bangles are among the primary ornaments worn by Indian women and are important indication that the wearer is a married woman. Gold is especially favoured material for bangles but is less common than other materials. Lac bangles have been widely used in India since ancient times. They are worn singly or in sets and made in many colors and with many forms of surface decoration including tiny mirrors and gold leaf. Iron bangles are sometimes encased in gold and those of conch shell are traditionally worn by married women in West Bengal. In Rajasthan ivory bangles are common. In some places they are worn in sets that go from wrist to armpit. Glass bangles are the most common of all. Brides usually wear red bangles, and for everyday use the color is often choosen to match the color of their outfit. Glass bangles are worn by women of all classes of society, rich and poor. They are worn by girls also but for a married woman it is a necessity.

-Pragya

Babu Churi Wala

Located amongst the 22 churi walas was this tiny shop yet the largest in comparison to other shops. The man who owned this shop was Nabhir Ahmed, a soft spoken, 65year old man of great knowledge and experience. Ahmed ji’s shop has been running since the last 4 generations and currently is under the name of his father in law. ‘Babu Churi Wala’ shop is very beautiful and visually appealing and is full of vibrant bangles with a huge variety ranging from glass bangles to plastic ones from metal ones in all colours and sizes with all kinds of designs, sequences and stones for infants, fashion conscious teenagers to newlyweds and elegant ones for the elderly people.

Earlier the market around the hanuman mandir was known to be the largest market reason being the foot fall was very high but in recent times it’s the opposite.

The shop opens every day from 11am to 9pm though earlier the shop used to be running even at 5am as many people would visit the Hanuman mandir for early morning prayers. The shops been in business ever since the mandir was built but back then the shop would only be open on Tuesdays since that day is auspicious for hanuman ji and there would be a ‘Patri Bazaar’ wherein people would sell their stuff either  on carts or by spreading a cloth and displaying their stock (no permanent structures). But ever since the government has taken over this area, they allotted a place for Mabeer ji to set up his shop (permanent structures).

The infrastructure of the shop consists of iron frames which contains of iron rods which are detachable and used to display his bangles. The seating arrangement consists of 2 wooden benches for customers for customers to sit outside the shop and one low rise wooden stool for Mabeer ji to sit on. The shop also consists of a wooden bench inside the shop which acts as a small storage unit. The shop consists of a radio that plays hindi songs all day which transports us into the old era. Also the shop has a balance of bulbs and tube lights that brings the best in the bangles.

One very unique thing I came across was that all the churi walas in that area were related to someone or the other and hence, called themselves a family. There was a lot of proximity and cohesiveness among them all. There were no signs of competition or jealously.  

-Sanya

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-Krisha

Despite the austentatious display of the churis and a very frank interview with babuji we tried to look for snags in the shop. Mesmerised by the exorbitant color of churis and quite impressed with the ethics that was practised by babuji in this profession, we tried to probe into the problems faced by them. The major snag that came to our notice was storage, disposal, hygine etc. I could very clearly make out that the things could be stored in a well organised way stored in proper places and displayed in a better frame but for babuji these were no obstacles or deference as they were concieved by me, maybe they have become used to it so they don't really find it a problem.  The problem taken up by me is storage. I found that babu ji and his disorganised ways were in harmony with each. The things that appeared deterrent  to me, but  these things were  part of his profession and he seemed to chime in with them. What I could percieve was storage is not a bigger problem but the oderliness. If the arrangement and orderliness is taken care of there will be enough storage in the shop. The mess and chaos created by boxes makes it look shabby. Had babuji maintained a certain orderliness in his way of maintaining his surplus goods the shop could have looked more tidy and organized. I think this could have been a beautiful blend of management and profession. He has stored some boxes behind the door displayed with bangles on the horizontal rods made from one edge to another, these boxes can be seen from the spaces between the rods, this degrades the grace of bangles giving it an untidy look . Some boxes are stored under the bench which gives the shop an untidy look and also a disorganised image of the shopkeeper.
I tried to give some solutions for this problem.
1) To cover the area under the bench so that things are stored under it and the covering makes it look good.
2) To make some place for the watercooler and their food in the almirah so it does not interrupt the walkways .
3) give some shelves on the inner side of the door of almirah.

These were coat effective solutions.

-Manasvi

Marketing (Problem Area And Solution)

A survey was carried out to check why people visit Janpath market and not Hanuman mandir market, though the two places being so close.
We visited Janpath and interviewed few visitors.
- Most of the people didn't know about the market place at Hanuman mandir. They visited Janpath market unaware of the market at Hanuman mandir.
- A few visited Hanuman mandir but did not know about the market at Hanuman mandir.
- Few visited Janpath market for the trendy cloths , which are not available at the Hanuman mandir market. We enquired them if some cloth shops are moved to hanuman mandir, will they visit it? They agreed to it they will .
Therefore the first problem is of - marketing and need to advertise.

Solution:
* Online
- The website on CP (Google maps) need to have information related to the shops in the area. There exists a website of Babu churi wala, but they don't sell bangles online.
-The e-commerce sites can be exploited for online availability of bangles from these shops.
-Create a Facebook page about the shop. Which we have already maintained. Utilise other social networking sites for advertising. Eg- Twitter, Pinterest, etc.

* Urban surroundings for potential marketing
- A map display needs to be placed around CP and Janpath , showing places including churi walli market, mehendi shops , etc.
- Place a sign board and billboards around in the the area.
- Recommending wedding shops and sari shop owners to advise customers about the churi walli shop.

-Krisha

History of Bangles

Bangles—made from shell, copper, bronze, gold, agate, chalcedony etc. — have been excavated from multiple archaeological sites throughout India. A figurine of a dancing girl—wearing bangles on her left arm — has been excavated from Mohenjo-daro (2600 BC). Other early examples of bangles in India include copper samples from the excavations at Mahurjhari — soon followed by the decorated bangles belonging to the Mauryan empire (322–185 BCE), and the gold bangle samples from the historic site of Taxila  (6th century BCE).Decorated shell bangles have also been excavated from multiple Mauryan sites. Other features included copper rivets and gold-leaf inlay in some cases.

Bangles – Production

Glass bangles are mostly produced in only one Indian city called Firozabad in North India.
In India, Hyderabad has a historic market for bangles named the Laad Bazaar.
In Pakistan, glass bangles are almost all produced in Hyderabad, Pakistan.

Types Of Bangles

There are two basic types of bangles: a solid cylinder type; and a split, cylindrical spring opening/closing type. Primary distinguishing factor for these is the material that is used to make the bangles. This may vary anything from glass to jade to metal to lac and even rubber or plastic. Traditionally bangles were made of various types of metals like gold, silver, bronze etc. Bangles made from gold are considered the most expensive ones.

Bracelets
A bracelet is an article of clothing or jewelry that is worn around the wrist mainly for ornamental purpose. Bracelets can be made of cloth or metal, and sometimes contain rocks, wood, and shells. Bracelets can of various types including bangle bracelets, expansion bracelets, cuff bracelets, beaded bracelets, charm bracelets, spiral bracelets and link bracelets. A large number of boys in India, too wear bracelets in the wrist for glamor purpose.

(Secondary Research)

-Ankita

How Glass Bangles Are Made?

The bangles are very fascinating and colourful ornament of tradition women. A research work involved interviewing the helper of Mr. Ahemad(shop owner) , Mr. Irshad. He was questioned on how these bangles were made. He told us that he has seen these bangles being manufactured in Ferozabad.
A number of people work in bangle industry to bring out the final product. Firstly , the molten glass is transferred on to pipes and is beaten to make equal in dimensions without removing the pipe. Mr. Irshad's words"the molten glass comes out like mehendi from mehendi cone". The pipe along with molten glass is sent to a machine where the glass comes in contact with an automatic roller. There the hot molten glass starts expanding and rolls around it increasing in size. This results in formation of glass spring. Later the bangles are manually separated by cutting the glass spring with a blade.

Next step entails another set of people who join the open ends of the bangles. These are later made to look neat and straight by another set . this final product is a result of lot of labour and hard work of bangle makers.

(Secondary Research)

A Date With Delicacy

The day was quite sunny and bright  our group was ready to visit a "churi bazar" behind Hanuman Mandir as a part of our project. It assumed significance as it was our first field project. Little were we aware of what we were going to come across. As the students of the prestigious institute 'Pearl' we were directed by an inner creative impulse  and with some creative thoughts we reached the shop of AHMED JI popularly known as babu churi wala. The thoughts and questions were unsought by babuji but the answers that we received were unprecedented from an unprepossesing business man. A rich variety of churis was displayed that awakened our interest into their making , designing and adorning. These mesmerizing colors lent a countenance of delicacy and beauty to an otherwise unostentious shop. The attractive and wonderful colours lure you to the shop without any meditation or preparation. Here was a place that augmented my imagination and imparted delicacy to the wearer of the churis. I was awakened to the contribution made by these delicate churis in our favourite serials, songs and folk songs too. They make our heroins the very epitome of grace and tenderness. The tender and fragile churis give their relationship a strong foundation. These churis are offered to goddess  for a long life of husband. They form a very vital part of  'shringar' of all hindu devi/devtas. The churis stand for feminism. The visual display of churis enters deep into our beings and consciousness. Chura a set of red churis particularly worn by a bride at the time of her marriage is not only to adorn her delicate arms but they stand for all the fortune and prosperity that life has instore for her and that God has bestowed on her. Besides this,  a very tiny churi woven in black thread to keep the newly born from evil spirits, a very delicate and beautiful way of keeping your baby away from affliction. Far from the amenities of a big business tgis business is delicately and tenderly run in a traditional way by people who have learnt to rise above caste creed and religion. I was wondering if business could teach someone to deal with the frailest things in the noblest way - to be human with humans brings grandeur to the otherwise very trivial things. It is particularly very significant in this age when business means nothing but money.

-Manasvi

Colour And Meaning

Glass bangles hold different meaning according to their color. Some regions have specific bangles associated with their local traditions, and there is more general color code for bangles as well. Red bangles symbolize energy, blue bangles symbolize wisdom, and purple symbolizes independence.  Green stand for luck or marriage and yellow is for happiness. Orange bangle means success, white ones mean new beginnings and black ones mean power. Silver bangles mean strength, while gold bangles mean fortune.

 In Gujarat and Rajasthan, the bride’s mother has to gift the bride a pair of ivory bangles. It is only on wearing these ivory bangles that the bride couple can perform the ‘saptapati’; without the bangles, this ritual cannot be performed.

Married women in Bengal have to wear the iron ‘Kada’(bangle) or ‘loha’ as it is commonly called, to signify marriage. In  addition to this kada, the bride is presented with white conch bangles that are beautifully carved and red lac bangles.

The South Indian ceremony called Valaikaapu occurs during the seventh month of a woman’s pregnancy. The family celebrates, and the bangles of all color and designs are stacked on the woman’s wrist. Once the ceremony is completed, the woman goes to her mother’s residence. There, she will deliver her child.

It is believed to be an event held to ward off evil spirit that might be lurking around mother to be or the baby in the womb.

-Prateet

-Krisha

Manufacturing Process Of Lac Bangles

Lac pieces are first melted in a shallow vessel or kadai.  When it is in a semi-molten state, beroza, giya pathar powder, and color are added to it. The mixture is stirred continuously. The colored lac is now stuck on the end of the wooden stick.

The  lac  (without  pigment)  stuck  around  a  wooden  rod  is  heated  slowly  over  the  coal  burner  or angethi. It is simultaneously pressed with a stone or a wooden tool called hattha  at regular intervals. When it is sufficiently warm and soft, it is wrapped with the desired color by rubbing the colored lac stick on it evenly. For this purpose the colored lac stick also has to be warm enough and is therefore heated over the burner. After the color has been applied to the lac base it is shaped into  a thin  coil with the help or hattha and cut off from the plain lac rod. The coil is heated  over  the burner so  that the ends  can  be joined together to  form  a bangle. After being joined it is  slipped through  a  round wooden beam (with a  tapering end  for different sizes) and adjusted for size. The bangle is ready to be embellished with sequins, semi-precious stones, etc. The sequins are placed on a tin foil and  heated over a burner. They are warmed so that they can melt the lac surface on which they are placed and stick there after solidification. They are picked up one at a time and stuck on the bangle.  The  process requires  great precision.  It   takes much longer  when  working  with smaller  sized sequins.

-Prateet