Jewellery mart Bhuleshwar bets on redevelopment for survival

Transforming this traditional imitation jewellery market into a modern residential-cum-commercial hub only way to compete amid Chinese import challenges: Traders

- Linah Baliga

In dimly lit karkhanas, cramped spaces that double as workshops across the city, it takes 35 pairs of hands to make an earring, 23 to fashion a bangle, and 28 to produce hair accessories. These karkhanas supply all kinds of art jewellery — from flashy hair pins, to colourful bangles, fake pearl necklaces, to earrings and anklets ~ to Bhuleshwar, Mumbai’s oldest imitation jewellery market. But these traditional crafts are fighting a losing battle ~ against time and cheap Chinese imports.

Traders and manufacturers say Chinese imports have steadily eroded business in Bhuleshwar, the bustling and vibrant jewellery market situated in the city’s old town, just north of Crawford Market in South Mumbai. The only way to revitalise the trade, and remain competitive, is to redevelop the market, they say.

To this end, 35 landlords and 72 buildings in Bhuleshwar are together proposing the cluster model of redevelopment, to transform the neighbourhood into a world-class commercial-cum residential centre dedicated to imitation jewellery and ancillary trades.

Atul Dhanesha, president of the Imitation Jewellery Dealers and Manufacturers Association (TIJDMA), which represents 2,200 members, says the trade dates to colonial times and is concentrated mainly in Bhuleshwar, Zaveri Bazar and Bhoiwada.