CUNCOLIM: It is not unusual to see Shivram and his brother Ramanand alias Gulab Shirvant, travelling across Cuncolim with a spectrum of glass bangles in tow. In fact, they are among the town’s important personalities, with their services being in demand by the families of almost every bride-to-be, cutting across religions.
These ‘kankankar’, or bangle sellers, are an essential feature at ‘chudo’ ceremonies in the laidback South Goa locality. A tradition that involves women due to marry donning glass bangles of particular colours in odd numbers on both wrists, ‘chudo’ is practiced by families of different religions – albeit in varying procedures – and helps local communities immediately identify a bride-to-be.
The ceremony is usually organised by the woman’s maternal uncle and the kankankar, who is the cynosure of all eyes, is given pride of place as he dexterously lays out his collection of glistening glass bangles, measures the wrists of the bride with his fingers, and skillfully adorns them with bangles of certain colours, in a certain order. Thereafter, the uncle invites other women and girls in the family or neighbourhood to get some bangles for themselves too.
As a mark of respect, the kankankar is offered rice, coconut and a cloth apart from money, following which the ceremony concludes.
Shivram and Gulab, who are Cuncolim’s sole bangle sellers, say kankankar are accorded the same respect given to a priest when performing the ceremony. Having been in the occupation for the past 50 years and owning a bangle shop in the Cuncolim market area, this fifth generation duo could very well be the town’s last kankankar as they are uncertain if their progeny will carry their legacy forward at all. Easy access to bangles via online shopping platforms has also been greatly affecting them, they say.
“Our father, from whom we took over the trade, would carry a large bag of bangles on his shoulders and walk 15-20 km to each and every house in every ward of Cuncolim to earn his daily bread. His income was meagre, but he was able to sustain his family and died at the grand old age of 80. It is his unwavering dedication to this traditional occupation that has spurred my brother and I to keep it going,” says Gulab.
The two brothers and their families reside in a ward called Takaband, which was once home to many kankankar. Now, they are the only traditional bangle sellers there.
“Our income is not much, but we manage to make ends meet with the payments we receive from our customers. Although our services are worth thousands of rupees, we accept in good faith any sum we are offered as this occupation means much more to us than just a means to accumulate wealth,” says Shivram.
The seasonality of their business is another factor that works against them as they are in high demand only during wedding months, and virtually relegated to the side during the remainder of the year. “Many women, nevertheless, do visit our little shop in the market and we are happy to oblige them. We have even increased our collection of bangles to suit the varied preferences of our customers, even if it means earning just about Rs 150-200 per day,” they say.
Although the future of their occupation is uncertain, this spirited duo is keen on keeping it going until they can no more, after which they will probably go down in local history with other popular local artisans of Cuncolim – potters, carpenters, blacksmiths and goldsmiths – who put their hearts and souls into perpetuating their ancestors’ legacies.
