Silver anklets: Tinkling jewels that make Salem shine
The Hindu
Salem’s unique designs for handmade silver anklets have made the city one of India’s leading manufacturing hubs. And, the ornament is a deserving candidate for a GI tag
On a muggy afternoon, men in vests and lungis are busy at work at this nameless unit behind the Pallapatti Lake in Salem, assembling an ornament that the South Indian city has been famous for, for nearly a century: the silver kolusu or anklet. Artisans lay out varying lengths of silver wire that has already been cast in the ‘Khusbhoo’ pattern (named, like the idli, after the actress when she was at the peak of her popularity in the 1980s) and manually fix die-cut embellishments like flowers and enamel accents in a painstakingly slow process. Made of silver alloyed with copper, these ornaments come with tinkling bells (salangai) attached.More Related News