Zeroing in on Lac Bangles

At Burrabazar, Kamal owns a humble stall full of beautiful bangles. I visited his stall to buy bangles for the upcoming wedding of my cousin.

While in Jaipur and Hyderabad, it is common to find dedicated bangle markets, in Kolkata there aren’t many options. The busy street next to Satyanarayan A.C. Market is one option where you can expect to find varieties of bangles to suit different occasions.

Taking a look at all the bangles on display, I was wanting to purchase in bulk! Kamal had beautifully arranged all the bangles to attract even the most bored shopper! A bright yellow lamp, illuminated the bangles and made the glass shine brighter.

He seemed to have a stock of bangles in hundreds of colours. Shades of green, red, yellow, blue, purple and the golden were on display at his 4X4 stall.

Over the 12 years of his experience, Kamal had mastered the art of preparing gorgeous sets of bangles to adorn the hands in the best way possible. He also had an eye for detail and had the proficiency to identify the best matching shade from the thousands of bangles.

I was looking for a set of golden bangles to match with my brown lehenga with golden thread-work. Golden being a popular colour of choice for bangles, I was sure about finding a beautiful set of bangles within no time.

But, not quite so. Finding the exact shade in the glass variants was a tough task! Kamal tried to explain that a certain mustard shade will go well with the attire but I didn’t feel convinced. Next, he offered a solution to consider the lac bangles in which finding the exact shade was possible!

After spending near about 20 minutes, I finally zeroed on the lac golden bangles.

One thing that Kamal disliked was bargaining and that was the very thing that I had never been able to master! My vague efforts made him reply – ‘250/- hoga last, boliye pack kar du?’ (I can give it for Rs. 250, should I pack it?)

Happy with the deal, I agreed. Carefully packing the bangles in a brown paper, he handed over the set in a box to me.

Ranging from 30 to 1300, Kamal had in stock countless sets of bangles.

Taking a break from the day’s tasks, Kamal retired to enjoy a cup of tea as I took his leave.

As I crossed the A.C. Market nearby, I wondered, would I have tried to bargain if I was purchasing from a shop inside? I’m sure no. Why did I then try to exercise the power at Kamal’s stall? A very common habit, while at some places it becomes necessary to bargain, is it something that we need to practise at all times with everyone? Would love to know what you think.

Pic Courtesy: Wikipedia