The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Chandeliers for a song

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Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Chandeliers for a song

S. Harpal Singh

They come in different shapes, sizes and hues

Hazarilal Bhati comes from a chandelier makers family on the rolls of the Jaipur Maharajahs
Crystal chandeliers cost Rs. 5 lakh, while imitations cost Rs. 2,000-Rs. 5,000

Shining bright: Hazarilal Bhati sells cheap yet beautiful chandeliers by the roadside near the Police Club in Adilabad.

ADILABAD: Ornately made chandeliers have played no less a role in making palaces the stately edifices in places like Rajasthan and these majestic palaces have made that State sport a look as grand. In order to get to know what past grandeur is all about, take a look at Hazarilal Bhati’s chandeliers he sells at affordable rates by the side of the road near Police Club will help.

Bhati has come from Jaipur, the land of palaces selling beautiful illumination fixtures that are bound to make the cramped-for-space modern home look prettier. The item comes in different sober colours for the discerning to choose from. Bhati belongs to a family that had been on the rolls of the Maharajahs of Jaipur making exquisite chandeliers for their palaces. They were experts in crystal work.

The traditional chandelier makers of Rajasthan adopted different livelihoods following the abolition of the kingship in India. “Jab Raja log hi na rahe to jhoomar ko kaun khareedega. Hamare bahut se parivar doosre kam mein lag gaye. Ham abhi bhi jute huye hain apne dhande mein thoda pher badal kar ke (When the kings are no more who will buy the jhoomar? Many of our family members have taken up other vocations),” observes Bhati. The change that Bhati mentions is with regard to making the chandeliers affordable even by the common man unlike in the past. Instead of the costly crystal, moulded glass is assembled as chandeliers of different shapes, sizes and colours.

“We get the glass from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh and assemble it wherever we set up our road side shops. The glass makes it possible for us to sell it at affordable prices. The crystal chandeliers could cost even Rs. 5 lakh. We sell the imitations for a price ranging between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 5, 000,” he explains.

Bhati’s chandeliers that come fitted with the bulb holder can hold as few as three light bulbs to as many as 15 depending upon the number of arms a piece has. This factor also influences the pricing of chandeliers. So far as designing the lighting fixtures is concerned Bhati simply copies it from the pictures of chandeliers published in newspapers or magazines. “Magazines provide a good range for us to copy easily,” he throws some light on this aspect.

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