Bengalis toil to keep city’s jewellery industry afloat

As the saying goes amongst goldsmiths, ‘we brought the entire Bengal here’ for satiating the ever increasing demand, the Bengali Community specialises in designs that none can contest. The hardworking community continues to toil for keeping the robust jewellery market afloat in the city.

According to some goldsmiths based in the city, the designs manufactured by Bengalis are well-known for their elegance and sophistication. Several decades ago, the Nizams used to regularly place orders with the West Bengal jewellers and following the increase in demand some of the goldsmiths migrated and settled-down in parts of Old City like Ghansi Bazaar.

“From the time of Nizam, the designs made by the Bengalis remained in demand owing to their elegance and refinement. Till this day, almost all the jewellers continue to give orders to them. Earlier, a particular set specially ordered was produced by a single designer and took several days.

Now, a chain of men similar to an Assembly line share tasks and finish off the work in day or two,” said Md Ghouse, working for a noted jeweller at Gulzar Houz. However, the Bengali community that now accounts for over one lakh population feels dejected, as several representations to recognise them as weaker section to successive governments has fallen on deaf ears.

“It has been more than 70 years that our forefathers migrated here and nothing has changed since. We have been toiling then and continue to this day on meager pay, like labourers. At least after formation of Telangana, we hoped that justice will be done, but none has come to our rescue,” said Dipankar Pal, president of Bengali Samithi.

“Till now only 40, 000 people got their Aadhar and Voter ID cards while others still continue to run from pillar to post to get these IDs,” he said. Despite their hard work, an average Bengali goldsmith earns about Rs 10,000 every month. Recently, the financial crisis triggered due to demonetisation drove some Bengali workers to the brink. With each passing day, the daily wagers are badly hit due to monetary woes.

“It is all about meager pay and lack of provisions to the Bengali workers in the Old City. The earnings made after toiling for a whole day do not support the ever increasing cost of living in a city like Hyderabad,” said Prince, Vice-President of Ghansi Bazaar Bengali Samithi.

By Md Nizamuddin