A Bangle is a type of ornament worn mostly by South Asian women and men in different style.

It
is most famous in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and is worn in Bangladesh too. The ornament
is nothing new, it has a long history. A statue of a dancing girl wearing bangle on the left arm
was found in Mohenjo-Daro civilization’s site which belongs to around 2500 BC; this was
followed by several other statues from Indian cities which show the spread of bangles across
India.

The tradition of Indian women wearing bangles started in ancient times. However, to this day,
the custom continues. Women in India wear bangles to enhance their feminine grace and beauty.
These bangles are available in various colors and designs. The word bangle has been derived
from the traditional word Bangri or Bangali, which in Sanskrit these words mean ‘the ornament
that adorns the arm’. Bangles are ornaments by both unmarried women and married women in
India. Bangles have a long history and are being made from various materials including glass,
conch, different metals, gold and ivory. The traditional bangles of Punjab are made from ivory
and those from Bengal are made from conch.
Historically, there is strong evidence that Indian women have been adorning their arms with
bangles since ancient times. One of the oldest art objects in India, the bronze figurine of a
dancing girl excavated at Mohenjo Daro epitomizes the antiquity and the universality of wrist
ornaments in India. The figurine stands in the nude with one arm at her hip, the other arm
completely weighted down with a collection of bangles. Even the Yakshinis are depicted wearing
bangles. Banabhatt’s Kadambari has a reference to goddess Saraswati – the goddess of learning
who is shown as wearing kangans. Ancient fragments testify that bangles were made from
terracotta, stone, shell, copper, bronze, silver, gold, lac, etc. Bangles are also made of glass.
Significance of bangles for married women
In India, according to customs and traditions, wearing bangles is necessary for a married woman.
In some communities in India, a belief prevails that only golden bangles should not be worn.
Further glass bangles should accompany them. Glass bangles are said to be symbolizing the
well-being of the husband and the son. In some communities, women are so superstitious that
when changing the bangles they do not remove one bangle to the arm until they wore another set
of bangles. They believe that an empty arm brings bad omen. Thus, it can be safely said that
women not wearing bangles in India is frowned upon. However, things are changing with
women entering the work place.
In India, women are expected to wear formal attire as per the grooming norms. This can include
either an ordinary sari with nominal jewellery or a churidar kurta with nominal jewelry covering
the body. It is frowned upon if a woman wears traditional jewelry to office. People start asking
her if she is celebrating any occasion like her wedding anniversary or her birthday or some other
thing. Conservative male husbands also frown upon their wives wearing their finery to office.
They feel that if their wives do so, some of their male colleagues will glance at their wives and
get seduced and that will be a problem for them.
It is also believed that women who are not happy in their married lives wear fashionable attire to
office to enter into affairs with their colleagues. This belief is held by some traditional Indian
men who feel insecure of their women being smarter than they are. Bangles are called as choodi
in Hindi. They are usually made of glass, silver, copper, wood, plastic and are available in
various colors and models. The tradition of wearing bangles in India has been in existence for
real long. However, even today, women love to wear bangles to enhance their feminine grace
and beauty. Although, this trend is changing with women becoming of more modern outlook.
A Bangle is a type of ornament worn mostly by South Asian women and men in different
style. It is most famous in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and is worn in Bangladesh too.
The ornament is nothing new, it has a long history. A statue of a dancing girl wearing
bangle on the left arm was found in Mohenjo-Daro civilization’s site which belongs to
around 2500 BC; this was followed by several other statues from Indian cities which
show the spread of bangles across India.

In India, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh is said

to be the world’s largest producer of bangles. Different communities have come up to
work together and present a beautiful example of communal harmony in diverse India.

On the other hand, Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer of glass
bangles in the world. The Sadar Bazar of Firozabad is most famous for bangle shops.
For production of bangles, the latest innovations are tried in the technology for
production. Locally developed machinery is employed which is maintained locally as
well. This machinery uses natural gas instead of coal which was conventionally used up
till now. Use of natural gas is more eco-friendly and reduces pollution. It is also more
effective in heating glass. Each machine costs around Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 70,000 which
is affordable even by small industries.

The Lad Bazar in Hyderabad is one of the most famous and largest markets of bangles
in India. It is situated in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh and houses a total of
around 350 bangle shops. The price of bangles here can range from Rs. 100 to Rs.
5,000 per pair. Generally, the total daily business is of around Rs. 30 lacs plus the
exports. There are around 150 workshops in which there are 4,000 artisans who work
and of which 60% of are women. Women handle mostly the stonework decoration on
bangles. In Lad bazar, the number of people working in bangle shops has increased
from around 200 to 15,000 in last 10 years. Demand for bangles is increasing in this
market. The market is so lucrative that even those who hold professional qualifications
are getting involved in home businesses in Lad Bazar. I will give the example of
Mohammad Gouse who holds an M.C.A. degree and now sells bangles in Lad Bazar.

The most common bangles are lac bangles and glass bangles. Lac is a type of clay and
these bangles are very brittle. Brass and Silver framed bangles are also famous for
wedding purposes and have a good market in Lad Bazar. Different materials can be
used to make bangles. The price of the lac bangles are around Rs. 120 per pair while
glass bangles are cheaper and cost around Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 a dozen. The price of the
bangles can depend highly upon the decoration done on them and the type of material
used to make them.
There is also a black side of the bangle industry. Child labour is still used extensively in
Sadar Bazar market of Firozabad. Vikrant who is a child labourer there says, “I work in
bangle factory for 8 hours and manage to earn 30 to 35 rupees a day. I have no time for
studies and I do not have any option”.

Assistant Labour Commissioner rejects these facts. There have been some raids on
some factories before and it has reduced to some extent but it’s still quite widespread.

The bangle industry is growing a lot in India and it supplies extensively to whole country
as well as exports to the whole world. There are various art exhibitions and Indian
merchants have good market there from foreign shoppers. These bangles are also sold
online nowadays with the boom in online shopping in India. This industry is on its way to
further growth and has a bright future.