Kandivali resident Jyotsna Barot, 53, is worried. It’s her daughter Jigna’s wedding soon after Diwali and the jewellery she had ordered isn’t ready yet.
“The jeweller says that the jadau necklace and earrings will take longer to deliver since the karigars, who are Bengalis, have gone home for Durga Pujo,” she says. (The term ‘jadau’ refers to jewellery studded with precious stones.) Her son admonishes her, saying they should have bought jewellery from a branded store in a mall. “These children don’t understand. I want an amalgamation of patterns from a few necklaces I saw with different relatives. Which brand will do that?” asks an exasperated Barot.
This ‘Pujo exodus to Bengal’ is vexing many as most of the wedding and traditional jewellery are still custom-made by small jewellers. Clients who forgot to factor that in while ordering their jewellery are now in a soup.
Almost 90% of the artisans who fix diamonds in traditional jewellery hail from Bengal. And during the Pujo, they go back home to be with their family. This causes a hiccup in production every year, right in the middle of the festive buying season, say owners of the 4,000 plus diamond workshops that dot the lanes of Zaveri Bazar area.
“Everybody comes on horse-back, as it were, wanting the fanciest jadau and kundan patterns delivered in a jiffy,” Dilipbhai Gala, Zaveri Bazar jeweller says, while he chides another customer, “Ben, if you want good work, you have to give the karigars enough time.”
Shrikanto Das, a workshop owner, says: “We’ve tried everything to keep them here during this season - from starting Pujos here to promising higher wages for those who work during this period. But that hasn’t stopped people from going back to be with their families during Pujo.”
Other owners like Jaladhar Mondal, 47, echo Das’ views but admit their sympathies are with the artisans. “In 1980, when I came to Mumbai, I yearned to be back with my family for Pujo, and unfailingly did so till I got married, and had school-going children. Then it became tough to go back to Bengal for long holidays,” he says.“Therefore, I can empathise with how they feel.”
Artisan Subhash Nath, 56, will be leaving on Saturday. “I live alone in Mumbai. So I take my annual leave only during the Pujo, and look forward to meeting my ten-year-old daughter.” Like Nath, Pinaki Das, 32, is also going back home for Pujo and was settling accounts with his boss. “Usually, I only pick up a part of my weekly salary and tell my employer to keep the remaining amount with him. When I go home for Pujo, I take that money for my family.”
Meanwhile, Bombay Bullion Association president Suresh Hundia says that clients should plan their jewellery orders keeping the artisans’ Pujo plans in mind. “If they order in advance, clients will not be disappointed.”
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