For almost every South Asian woman, no traditional outfit is complete without the ‘Choori’ or the bangle. These delicate bracelets, traditionally made of glass, and embellished with gold designs are beautiful, vibrant, and an important accessory to every outfit. While bangles can be found in the old bazaars of every city in Pakistan, the most famous place in Pakistan to get bangles is Hyderabad in Sindh.
Perhaps one of the most famous places to buy bangles in Hyderabad is ‘Choori Bazaar’, a wholesale market south of the main Sahi Qila Chowk, which exclusively deals in bangles. It is a narrow lane covered in shops and decorating units, with people conversing loudly across shops and local street food vendors selling fresh goods. Choori Bazaar is particularly vibrant during Ramadan and in days before Eid, when ladies throng to the bazaar to find matching bangles for their Eid dresses.
The first evidence of women wearing bangles in South Asia dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (about 2600 BC), based on the dancing girl statue excavated from Mohenjo-Daro, whose arms are adorned with bangles. Bangles were once used to symbolize states of womanhood, particularly the difference between a married and an unmarried woman. But in the present day, bangles are used as fashion statements or colorful accessories of beauty and femininity.
According to historical records, modern-day glass bangles were originally produced in a town called Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, India. After Partition, these craftsmen settled in Hyderabad, and continued their craft. Locals who already lived in Hyderabad learned the art of bangle making, and began to set up parallel bangle businesses.
While there were initially 10 shops established in the bazaar, at present there are over 2000 shops in the area. Statistics show that there are over 350,000 people in Hyderabad involved in the process of making, trading and transporting bangles from the city to the country, which accounts for a significant part of the city’s population.
The traditional way of making bangles is a difficult, multi-step procedure. It requires about 25 people to make one bangle, and 80% of the work is done by women. The first step involves collecting used pieces of glass, and placing them in an oven (bhatti) to merge and form thin pieces of malleable glass. The second step is the Sadai or ‘alignment’, in which the glass strips are shaped and separated in a roller machine.
After they are heated to produce a glossy sheen, the ends of the bangles are torched together in the jurrai or ‘merging’ phase. Once fully formed, these bangles are sent for Meena Kaari or ‘design work’, during which the bangles are painted or carved by hand. Sometimes, another layer of glass is added to the simple bangles, to make detailed carvings that can be filled with paint or gold flakes.
Although recent years have seen changes in bangle market, there is still a lot that needs to be updated. The bangle materials have seen a shift from glass to metal and plastic, and some businesses have shifted to factory production.
However, many still use outdated and traditional methods to make bangles, which are often only seasonal products, not made all-year-round. A majority of the workers are still women and children. Since most of the businesses are informal, there are no working regulations and safety training in place.
The women who craft these bangles, work long hours in difficult conditions without the provision of safety gear, and earn very little money per bangle. A large number of these women hail from Thar and areas around Hyderabad, and often develop different respiratory conditions because of the poorly ventilated sweat shops in which they work.
The making and wearing of bangles has been very intrinsic to Pakistani culture for centuries. The intricate design work on bangles that is native to Pakistan, must be preserved and celebrated as a traditional craft. But if Pakistan is to export or even formalize this bustling business, steps need to be taken not only to ensure that the workers’ rate of payment are at par with the rest of the labor market, but the terribly unhealthy conditions that they are working under need to be reformed by the Sindh government with immediate effect. They must also address the issue of child labor which has been closely tied to the bangle industry.
