[I wish to thank the National Geographic Society and Out of Eden Walk, whose 2018 Journalism Workshop supported the creation of this project.]

A man in his sixties, clad in white, presides over the shop in Kolkata like a kindly prince, with an upright bearing, a constant smile, and a packet of slim Esse Lights cigarettes that he smokes elegantly, one after another, all day long. Perhaps Uttam Sen’s disposition is improved by knowing that the bangles he creates, known as shakha-pola, are twirling on the wrists of married Bengali women all over Kolkata and the world.

Sen is one of Kolkata’s renowned wholesalers of original shakha-pola bangles made of conch shells, unlike the cheap knockoffs made in Murshidabad, India from plastic or plaster-of-Paris. Plastic bangles come at one-tenth the price of the original conch shell shakha bangle.
 

“Fake plastic bangles have not made a dent in our business,” he says. “Customers who know the value of authenticity will always come to us.” 

“Shakha” signifies purity and is made of conch shell that is beautifully crafted and polished. “Pola” is red in colour and symbolizes power, earlier made of red corals or lac resin, and now is made of Bakelite. 

His company exports mainly to USA, UK, Dubai and Thailand and is a major supplier to large jewelry showrooms. He takes a pair of gold-rimmed shakha-pola bangles and turns them in his hands. “These are very much in demand, especially amongst the Bengali diaspora. I happily ship them worldwide. Initially, we made two or three designs, but now women are well aware and customize their bangles, so we have more than 150 designs of shakha. This brings in a huge turnover to the business.”

“This business was set up by my father 60 years ago in the heart of Kolkata. When I was ten, he was bed-ridden and later passed away, so I handled the business affairs. From one shop, I have worked hard to expand it to three shops and two manufacturing units.”

Roopam Mojra, a retailer who has been buying from Sen for past two decades, drives three and a half hours to do so. “Sen Dada (elder brother in Bengali) is diligent, honest, and has authentic shakha bangles. That is the reason I travel from the district of South 24 Paraganas—to get the best product.”

Mr Sen’s bangles are made from conch, the shells of large predatory sea snails that are found in deep waters of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Sen buys them from traders in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu in India, who in turn buy conch shells harvested by fishermen from the ocean.

The harvest of the Indian Sacred Conch Shell, scientifically known as Turbinella pyrum, was initially banned under India’s Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. However, in December 2001, with advocacy from Sankha Shilpa Bachao Committee, the conch was effectively removed from the protected list of banned mollusk or seashell species. Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development has reduced the issuance of licenses for harvesting conch shells to fishermen by ten percent for past two years due to rampant harvesting and a dramatic reduction in the population of sea snails. All conch shell harvesting in Florida waters and adjacent Federal waters of United States has been banned since the mid-1980s.

Mr Sen leads me down a back-alley towards the manufacturing unit from where the sound of a shrieking grinder rattles the walls. The pungent smell of fish fried in mustard oil drifts from a nearby roadside eatery. There are three workers masked in conch dust powder working on different processes of shakha bangle production, from grinding, polishing, cutting to crafting the intricate designs. The shell powder is popular amongst women for skin lightening as well as in treating acne and skin allergies.

Many loyal customers and retailers are in and out of the shop through the day, mostly jewelers who wait and chat over Darjeeling tea to get their finished product. One of them is Shymal Paul, a goldsmith.

“Sen Dada is always smiling. Our association goes back to 15 years. I always buy shankha bangles here because the quality is the best and there have been no complaints. It’s worth the wait to get the right set of carved bangles, so I can add gold embellishments, especially with the forthcoming wedding season.”

Shymal works about a mile away in Sonapatti, Bara Bazar of Kolkata. His workshop is dingy, with no ventilation. An open furnace in the corner roars, melting gold that is later poured into molds.  A dozen craftsmen set gold into the bangles, polishing and hammering, as beads of sweat drip from their chins onto withered and battered hands. The final product—shakha-pola bangles trimmed in gold—is something magnificent.

As the evening sets in, the shop bustles with more people. A newly married couple walks in to take Sen’s blessings. Even the nearby florists vouch for his positive attitude. When asked what is the secret behind his happiness, he says, “If the family back home is happy, that makes me happy. Earlier, I was not able to give time to the family. However, now I can, as my son joined the business about six years ago after graduating in business management.”

When asked what profession or vocation would he have chosen if not for this shakha-pola business, Sen replies, after a long spell of silence, with a bemused look, “I can not think of anything else except this business. I am passionate about it.” As an afterthought, he also shares his future plans. “I have recently bought land in the adjacent block and plan to build a three-storied hotel, with construction starting next month.” The prince of shakha-pola bangles will be hotelier soon.

And with that, Mr Sen pulls the shutter of the shop down, locks the door, and embraces what’s next with the gait of a much younger man.