'Hyderabadi bangle's fame, now a circle of shame'. These are on the lines on which activists are planning a campaign to increase consumer awareness about the use of child labour in the making of Hyderabad's famous lac bangles.
That's because even after it came to light that the glitter of the stone bangles was built on the exploitation of thousands of children, there seems to be little impact on the Chudi Market at Lad Bazaar, where it is business as usual.
"Hyderabad is famous for bangles and biryani. Whoever comes to Hyderabad, customer and tourist loves the Hyderabadi bangles. Nothing has changed," says Mohd Iqbal, whose bangle outlet is just a couple of shops away from the city's iconic Charminar.
The activists fear the exploitation of child labour would continue if customers continue to buy the bangles, and are pushing for calling for consumer consciousness and a child-labour-free certification.
Customers too are either not aware or have their own reasons for continuing to buy the bangles. "One must remember that some children are very poor and they need to work, at least part time, to survive," reasons Asha, a tourist from Delhi.
Traditional bangle-makers of the city however insist that the use of child labour is a recent phenomenon and that it has spoilt the name, quality and price of the Hyderabadi bangles.
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