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Riot of colour

Their lurid colours and varied designs not only add to the beauty of women, but also fascinate with their tinkling sound and graceful style, says HARJEET KAUR ALLAGH.

MYRIAD HUES Bangles add colour to life PHOTO: RAJU. V.

Choodi jo khanki haathon me... the clink of the bangles of Phalguni Pathak reverberated across the country and teenagers went gaga over the soft but catchy number of the tomboyish singer.

Bangles as a fashion accessory are a rage and are back on the fashion scene in a big way. Most of the bangles made in India are either handcrafted or made of glass.

To lure the city-dwellers with a mind-boggling range of hues and designs, many bangle-sellers from Hyderabad have descended on the Swaraj Maidan as part of the ongoing annual exhibition.

Glass bangles are considered the most traditional and denote happiness. They are not only the symbol of a woman's marital status but have inspired poets and lyricists to depict the astonishing impact of the ethnic jewel worn around the wrist.

"Bangle sellers are we who bear, our shining loads to the temple fair... who will buy these delicate, bright rainbow-tinted circles of light?" So goes the Sarojini Naidu's most famous `Bangle Sellers'.

Glass bangles can be tricky as sending them down across the five fingers to rest around the wrist can be a daunting task.

In olden days, young men secretly envied bangle-sellers who had the privilege to grab and hang on to the wrists of women buying bangles.

One must wear the smallest size possible for the best look. The expo offers different sizes (from 2.2 to 2.10) of bangles.

Trendy style

Indian weddings are incomplete without bangles. Sameer bangles, the stall put up by Shabbir of Hyderabad has everything that the bazaar at Charminar offers in Hyderabad. Though this is his first visit to the city, he is elated over the brisk business, especially at the weekends.

Metal and fibre bangles are the latest additions, created to match the trendy styles that go with both westerns as well as ethnic Indian wear.

Mix `n' match

The shop, Rizwan bangles, belongs to Naseer, also from Hyderabad. Naseer cannot stop smiling as girls form a beeline to his shop for the latest dangling style of bangles. "Once the exams are over the sale will further boost," he says. Muskaan Bangles, a stall put up by Raheem of Hyderabad, has bangles manufactured at Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh, the hub of bangles in India.

His stall has skilfully handcrafted bangles made of glass. He offers classic wedding bangles, funky trendy bangles for the hip and happening girls, subtle and elegant wavy glass bangles in a myriad shapes and a riot of colours.

The formal ones are studded and embedded with stones, kundan, mirrors and pearls, while the trendy stuff is up for grabs in geometric shapes of hexagon, octagon, flower and star shape that suit modern girls. Raheem points to a special set of bangles with long danglers and Jhumkis hanging from it.

"This is the latest rage as it looks very elegant and all girls love to adorn their hands with these bangles." Preeti, a banker, likes a sober look with just a single bangle around her wrist. "But during occasions like marriages, you can wear a lot of them to enhance the beauty of your graceful wrist," she observes. Cherishing the refreshing experience, one can walk out of the stall crooning Yaad piya ki aane lagee... ye bheegee bheegee raaton mein

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