Worn by married Bengali women, conch shell bangles have long been part of Bengal’s tradition, but artisans are finding it difficult to keep their grip on their trade because of rising material costs.
Conch seashell bangles, called shankha, hold a special place in the culture of Bengal where it is a marker of married Hindu women, often worn with other bangles made of pola or coral. A set of shankha and pola is worn on both hands with an iron bangle between the two on the left hand.
Anindita Das, 28, a homemaker, said the bangles have been part of Bengali tradition and a special ritual, called dodhimangal, is performed during marriages when both bangles are slipped on the bride’s wrists by seven married women in the morning on the day of the wedding.
She said the shankha-pola is presented to the bride by her mother and both ornaments stand as a symbol of a married woman, apart from the sindur (vermillion) on the forehead. Pola is a smooth and polished red bangle, while shankha is white with intricate carvings.
But it is a craft that is losing sway – both as fewer skilled people are taking up the trade and as supplies are more expensive to come by.
Prashant Mandal, 50, has been making conch shell bangles for over four decades. The ground floor of his house in Sakha bazaar in Bishnupur town of Bankura district, around 200km from Kolkata, doubles up as his factory and shop.
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Prashant said the conch with a conical top and tail is cut and split through the middle. The two round pieces of conch are then smothered on a grinding machine and sliced into smaller pieces to make four bangles.
“The conch shell is then chiselled to make intricate designs in accordance with the buyer’s demand and preference,” he said.
The market has around 30 households involved in the trade, sourcing conch shells from south India. These families have been making bangles from conch shells for generations.
But their trade has been hit by shortage of raw material and inadequate skilled manpower.
“The bangles are in demand throughout the year and people living in both rural and urban areas use them. We have a good source of income, but insufficient raw material and labour supply is denting our business,” said Prabir Mandal, another shopkeeper.
The market once had around 150 households making conch shell bangles. But most of them have moved to other trades and jobs.
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It’s hard to get workers because wages are low in return for the long hours of tedious work.
“The conch has to pass through several stages before it turns into a fine bangle. It takes several hours of painstaking toil to make a conch shell bangle. Even a minor mistake can damage the fragile conch. But we get just Rs 250 or Rs 300 for a day’s work. We easily earn Rs 600 to Rs 700 for masonry work,” said Arindam Mandal, 35, a labourer.
Prabir alleged that wholesalers often cheated by giving poor quality conch shells.
“We buy in bulk and wholesalers show us just a sample in the bag. Often the conch shells turn out to be brittle and of no use. It results in losses,” he said.
The wholesalers procure the conch shells from Chennai. They said there are not enough men to harvest sea shells these days.
“People are not interested in going out to sea because of poor wages. It is a risky job as the divers have to go deep into the sea to collect conch shells,” said Akram Ghoshi, a wholesaler.
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He pointed out that a huge demand-supply gap consequently leads to rise in prices of conch shells. Demand for the material peaks during the festivals and the wedding seasons.
Authorities said the government can do little to regulate prices.
“We don’t have any control over the raw material price as the conch shells are supplied from southern India,” said Chandan Sen, general manager of MSME department at Bankura.”
They do try to inspire others to join the trade.
“We hold exhibitions and fairs to help the bangle makers and sellers promote their products and increase their income,” Sen said.
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The lead image at the top shows pair of conch shell bangles called Shaankha (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)
Gurvinder Singh is a journalist based in Kolkata.
