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Business

Business Unusual
The fascinating world of bangles
By Naomi Gunasekara
Bangles have always fascinated women the world over. From pop stars to traditional Indian women and little girls to older women, most women wear bangles to enhance the elegance of their attire or at times for cultural purposes. While bangles serve as a status and class marker in India, Sri Lanka too has a market for bangles according to Mohammed Shameem of Ornaments Garden who has sold thousands of colourful bangles over the years.

"Usually made of gold and studded with precious stones or gems, the Kangaan or the bangle remains one of the most wonderful pieces of jewellery. Ancient sculpture indicates that the social significance of bangles dates back to time immemorial as bangles worn by kings, queens, dancers, entertainers, coolies and gypsies served as a social, class and status marker," said Shameem, pulling out boxes full of colourful bangles.

Despite its inhospitable setting down Main Street in Pettah in the midst of dirty drains, Ornaments Garden maintains a steady clientele. "We are the main importers of bangles to Sri Lanka and dealers from all over the country come here to buy bangles in bulk. We specialise in bangles and sell plain or designed bangles in gold, silver, bronze, plastic and glass."

Known as the bangle shop among its customers, Ornaments Garden boasts of a strong clientele, which comprises mostly Tamils. It sells ornaments, trinkets, tinsel and fashion jewellery. Even jewellery ensembles are available on hire for weddings. Commencing operations about 1-1/2 years ago by Pakistan-born Indian resident Mohammed Rafiq; Ornaments Garden is a small shop full of trinkets. One side of the shop is covered with bangles of the most delicate and vibrant shades of red, blue, green, mauve, orange and yellow. "Coloured bangles with little designs and gold bangles have a good market," says Shameem who unpacks thousands of imported bangles a month.

Imported bangles
The shop was full of excited bangle shoppers who looked around in wonderment. Hundreds of bangles with intricate designs in silver and gold mesmerised the shoppers who wore them, looked in the mirror and even shook their hands to listen to the sound of glass before purchasing dozens of coloured bangles of various sizes and shades. "We import bangles about three times a month. They come in sets in cardboard boxes." A box contains nine to twelve sets of bangles of the same size in different colours. "Some sets have four bangles while others have ten or twelve. The prices differ according to the material, design and guarantee period."

Ornaments Garden sells bangles that range between Rs. 60-400 and have regular dealers who come from as far as Avissawella and Anuradhapura. "We have customers who only come here for bangles. Most of them are Tamils and they buy a lot of bangles for weddings or other traditional functions."

Although bracelets have taken the place of bangles today, they remain part of the traditional Indian attire and have a big demand in India according to Shameem who gets his bangles from Madras. "Madras bangles are the best. They have a good finish. Even the Sinhalese wear bangles for functions now and we have a steady demand."

Enhancing beauty
Forty-five-year-old Rasamma Karthigesu visits Ornaments Garden about three times a month. Her visits to the bangle store become frequent when she has to attend several functions she says. Examining dozens of bangles with different designs she looks for that special design that would make her attire complete. "I have to attend a wedding during the weekend and I am looking for gold bangles," she said giving an occasional admiring glance at the attractive glass bangles on display.

Karthigesu, who has been wearing bangles since childhood, was fascinated by the bangles on display because she had never visited a bangle store with such a wide choice before. "When I was very young a vendor used to come to our village with a basket full of bangles and I used to buy a lot of glass bangles from him. These vendors are not to be found anymore hence it is difficult to find bangles that please me," Karthigesu said, who now brings her children and relatives to this new-found bangle shop. "I discovered this place by chance and have come here ever since. I love bangles. They look so very feminine and beautiful."

Gone are the days where men carrying baskets full of bangles, apples, oranges, glass bottles, old newspapers and even plastic items came to your doorstep to sell or exchange them, laments Wimala Perera who had looked forward to the regular visits of a walalu karaya as a little girl. "They had such lovely bangles and I discovered something different each time a vendor visited us. I used to plead with my mother to buy them for me."

Cultural significance
Although bangles are made out of gold, silver, bronze and glass, coloured bangles have a deep cultural significance according to Shameem. "Green bangles are mostly worn by Indian women on auspicious or festival days. A combination of black, green and red bangles are worn by brides to ward off evil spirits and to bring prosperity and luck. In North India, brides get thick gold bangles with intricate designs from their mothers-in-law to ensure good luck."

While bangles are worn to enhance the beauty of an attire, they also signify the marital status of the wearer. In India, pregnant women wear multi-coloured bangles on both hands during special ceremonies held in connection with pregnancy. "This practice is prevalent among some of the Sri Lankan Tamils too. They come here to buy these bangles," said Shameem whose business is booming because the thorommbal karayas or the manibadu karayas who once visited villages to sell haberdashery like bangles, hairpins, ribbons, buttons, etc. are a dying breed today.

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