High silver prices threaten Lucknow’s famed bridal nagra craft
Rising silver prices are threatening the traditional craft of making 'nagras', a style of decorative footwear in Lucknow, India. Artisans who have practiced this trade for generations are seeing a decline in demand as the luxury items become unaffordable for many.
Why it matters
The economic shift highlights the struggle of traditional artisans to survive in a modern market affected by commodity price inflation.
Lucknow brides can no longer afford traditional silver nagras
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh and a city known for its Nawabi heritage and artisanship, 55-year-old Azhar Hussain sits at the bench where he has spent years making decorative footwear. His tools are still there, but the customers are not. Amid soaring silver prices over the past year, demand for his work has plummeted.
The small workshop sits beside Chowk Bazaar, one of Old Lucknow’s oldest and busiest markets, a famed hub for wedding shopping full of silver jewellery and handcrafts.
For three decades, Hussain has been one of the bazaar’s busiest craftsmen, making a distinctive form of silver slip-on shoes, known locally as nagras.
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