Phūlōn kā zēwar is jewellery made of fresh flowers in imitation of actual jewellery worn by a bride. The demand for floral jewellery comes at the time of weddings from all communities. A tiara in white flowers is ordered for the Christian bride.
Phoolon Ka Zewar (2023) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
Flowers are procured early in the morning from the wholesale market. Since they wilt quickly, the jewellery has to be crafted on the day that it is actually required. Using a thick needle, the flowers are strung on cotton strings and are shaped in imitation of actual jewels with the help of fine bamboo needles.
Elaborate floral jewels for the Hindu and Muslim brides are much the same; there is the distinctive jhūmar (hair ornament) for the latter and a hathphūl (hand adornment), kardhanī (waist band) and bāzūband (arm band) for the former.
The ṭīkā (forehead adornment), bracelets, rings and necklace are common to both. The flowers used are a combination of white and red colours. The commonly used ones are bēlā, mōgrā, cāndnī and dēsī gulāb.
Popular pre-wedding functions, haldī in the Hindu community and mānjhā among the Muslims also require the bride to wear floral jewels, lighter in nature but in a combination of yellow and white flowers. Many varieties of the marigold lend their distinctive golden colour for this.
Phoolon Ka Zewar (2023) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
Floral jewellery used fine silver and gold wires in the past. These have now been replaced by regular wires that may be easily bent to give shape to a ring or earring before stringing flowers on them. Jewellery is made using a needle and kaccā dhāgā, a loosely spun cotton thread broken off easily by hand and very fine bamboo needles to shape the jewellery. Slim plastic pipes are used to create gaps between the flowers, to make a lighter product and reduce cost.
Phoolon Ka Zewar (2023) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
There are old accounts of delicate nose rings being created by stringing flowers along the central vein of the leaf of the neem tree. The stringing of the flowers is usually outsourced to women and the rate of payment depends on the size of the flowers being strung; the smaller the flower, the higher the payment. The stringing of the dēsī gulāb is done by the zēwar makers themselves as the flower is delicate.
Phoolon Ka Zewar (2023) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope
At the height of summer, when the sweet scented bēlā and mōgrā are in season there is demand for gajrās as adornments for the wrist and hair. Gajrā sellers hawk their wares on the streets in the sultry evenings, leaving a trail of heady fragrance as they move from place to place.
Floral jewellery used to be sold outside silver and gold jewellery shops and also outside temples, dargahs and mosques. Today the principal place of the flower business is the Phool Wali Gali in Chowk. The narrow street permits only two persons to walk abreast and there are flower shops on either side doing brisk business.
Floriculture has now become big business in the area and the nearby townships, Bakshi Ka Talaab, Malihabad and Alamnagar supply flowers to the Lucknow market.
Curation: Noor Khan & Saman Habib
Photography: Ayan Bose, Tasveer Hasan
Team: Nagma Ehtesham, Nasreen Khan, Mariyam Imran, Noor Khan
Text, Editing and Translation: Saman Habib, Noor Khan, Sabiha Anwar, Isha Priya Singh, Waseem Ahmed, Stuti Mishra,Divya Joshi
Gracious Contribution by:
Isha Priya Singh
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