October 16, 2008

The Colour of Glass

A Bangle Seller.

Jodhpur. India. 2007.

22 comments:

heidi said...

Gorgeous pic!

Lakshmi said...

I love glass bangles and the banglers..you shd check them out in madurai inside the meenakshi temple where they have a mat arranged in front of their shops and you can sit and try as many as you want..the other fav is of course the bangle bazaar around charminar in hyd

Monika said...

thats a lovely pic...

Ravi Kumar said...

I have memories of bangle sellers in my village in Orissa too. It was usually a painful process where women use to wince in pain and some bangles used to break. Brought back those memories!

megha puNAter" said...

lovely pic anil,reminds me of bangle sellers in ahmadabad,walking around in a cart shouting out that he is selling bangles.and the girls coming out of their homes to see them.

Ugich Konitari said...

wonderful picture of small things that make life so exciting. Still waiting for your Navratri blog part II.......

Anil P said...

Heidi: Thanks.

Lakshmi: I've heard a lot of the Bangle Bazaar in Hyderabad.

Monika: Thanks.

Ravi Kumar: In North Karnataka I've seen bangle vendors go from door to door calling out their wares, and as folks heard his calls from a distance doors would open and the bangle seller would be invited in. There, as he sat on the floor ladies would gather around trying out bangles.

In no time neighbours would gather and the atmosphere would turn festive and in the middle of it all the bangle seller, patience personified, would take one look at proffered wrists and quickly produce bangles that more often than not were the right size.

But those were simple times.

Megha Punater: Thanks. Exactly. That's what I just replied to Ravi :)

Ugich Konitari: Yes, small things that evoke big memories. I'll be writing part II, hopefully soon :)

Sarah Laurence said...

Anil, that must be shortest post ever, but as usual you say so much with your vivid photos.

Anonymous said...

Nice! There is so much difference in the kind people sell from region to region. I was in the Bangle Street of Hyderabad, and the bangles there are much more glittery.

Kriti said...

beautiful! Especially like the exchange that's going on :)

Gauri said...

Am thinking about the many untold stories begind those bangles :) Nice pic btw.

Also read ur blogs tagline for the 1st time today and absolutely loved it :) "There are no two ways about anything. There is no one way about anything either." It finds a place in the "Food for thought section" on my blog. Hoping you wont mind that.

Anil P said...

Sarah Laurence: Thank you. Yes, this is surely among the shortest I've written :)

Shantanu: I'm sure there're differences in the bangle designs, and even bangle colours. Some colours are worn to indicate a religious essence, others to indicate marital status, yet others to indicate an occasion etc.

Wild Iris: Yes, it's interesting, the exchange.

Gauri: Surely there'll be many, many stories behind bangles. It would be interesting to hear them all.

This is the first time someone has commented on my tagline. It's great to know you liked it.

Sure, it can feature in your 'Food for Thought' section, a honour actually :)

Anonymous said...

Such a colorful display! I can only imagine seeing it in person.

bobbie said...

A wonderful photo!

Anonymous said...

Glass bangles !! Made me smile.
I like the vibrant colors and the sound they make.

Can't wear them daily though. Festivals make it possible.

Unknown said...

lovely pic

i love bangles... yaaaayy...miss wearing them.. :(
even though still wear one everyday.. but cant colour co ordinate them much.. oh well..

Anonymous said...

hi sir..!
a nice picc..

Anil P said...

Seamus: You must see it in person :)

Bobbie: Thank you.

Cuckoo: Glass bangles do make a lovely sound.

Ani: Thanks :)

Saish: Thank you.

Coffee Messiah said...

Nice to see such lively colors.

In reading about the bangles, I think on what it must of been like in those early days here in the usa when trade beads were used for trade or purchasing items.

Thanks for the journey! ; )

Anil P said...

Coffee Messiah: It would've been interesting to say the list.

In some parts of India the barter system still works.

Serendipity said...

This is an AWESOME picture!! Which camera do you use?

Gauri Gharpure said...

i loved the photos.. we have a ditto routine back home. garlands on vehicles followed by a feast of jalebi and fafda..