Facing ruin, glass artists blame the Taj

ARTISANS BANNED FROM BURNING COAL, FORCED TO USE COSTLY GAS TO FUEL FURNACES

The artisans are banned from burning coal and forced to use costly gas to fuel their furnaces — and yet two decades on, the monument continues to lose its lustre

H anuman Prasad Garg doesn’t blame rising fuel prices or pressure from cheap knock-offs for the slow demise of the glass industry where Indian artisans have forged bangles for centuries. He blames the Taj Mahal.

The ancient glass quarter in Firozabad never recovered after authorities blamed smoke drifting from its furnaces for yellowing the Taj’s magnificent white marble, threatening the beauty of India’s number-one tourist attraction.

Sore point

The artisans were banned from burning coal and forced to use costly gas to fuel their furnaces instead — and yet two decades on the Taj is still losing its lustre.

“Because of the Taj Mahal, the entire industry is suffering,” said Garg, president of a glass industry association in Firozabad, roughly 35 kilometres from the 360-year-old monument.

Inside the blazing-hot workshops dotting the district, the Taj is a sore point for many of the craftsmen toiling over thousand-degree furnaces to fashion the glittering bangles that sell for pennies across India. Their industry dates back almost as far as the Mughal-era mausoleum itself.

But many factories have closed or downsized considerably as the price of natural gas has steadily climbed in recent years, throwing generations of glass artisans onto the scrap heap. Now authorities are considering closing the historic district for good. Crouched over a flame in his tiny workshop, Zafar Ahmad skilfully carved a delicate bird from a searing hot blob of molten glass as he fretted about his family-run business.

“I have been making glass items since I was 10 years old. This is the only thing I know. My entire household is involved in this work,” he told AFP, using a naked flame to tease the glass into form.

“But still it is so difficult to survive. I can’t even afford sending my four children to decent schools. I can’t imagine what will happen to them if God forbid I am out of work,” he added.

Artisans earn little more than Rs300 (Dh17 or $5) per day, despite the extreme conditions.

Competition from cheaper plastic and metal bangles has also made it harder for those crafting glass by hand, a costlier and more time consuming process.

Industries shut down

A Supreme Court ruling in 1999, giving Firozabad two years to retrofit their factories with gas instead of coal, has gradually eroded their razor-thin margins, pushing many to the wall.

Garg said pollution had come down, but the phasing out of gas subsidies had seen input costs climb year on year.

“Ours is a labour-intensive industry and everyone suffers on account of this,” he said.

Despite the interventions, the Taj is still yellowing, prompting authorities to search for stricter rules on potential pollutants in the area. Other coal-powered industries in districts closest to the mausoleum have also been shut down, while motor vehicles are not allowed within a 500 metre radius of it.

PTI Despite various interventions, the Taj Mahal is still yellowing, prompting authorities to search for stricter rules on potential pollutants in the area.

AFP An artisan uses a gas torch to fashion the glittering bangles that are sold across India. The industry dates back almost as far as the Taj Mahal itself.

AFP Glassmaker Zafar Ahmad makes an item at his home in Firozabad. The ancient glass quarter in Firozabad has never recovered since the use of coal was banned, artisans say.