Firozabad Glass Bangle Blowing Agra Uttar Pradesh

Firozabad in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh is the largest glass bangle and glassware manufacturing cluster in India, producing approximately 70 percent of India glass bangle output and employing approximately 150,000 workers in 600 industrial units and tens of thousands of home-based finishing workers. The Firozabad glass industry traces its origins to the Mughal period when Agra was a center of Persian glassblowing traditions. The basic bangle production process involves melting soda-lime glass rods (called lakdi) over a gas-flame torch to approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius, winding the molten glass into tubes, joining the ends to form a ring, and fire-polishing the join. Glass blowers called kathaiya sit at individual benches producing 4,000 to 8,000 bangles per day. The finishing ecosystem employs women and children in home-based piece-work for painting with lacquer and gold, applying rhinestones, and sorting and packaging. Firozabad glass covers a spectrum from plain undecorated daily-wear bangles sold at 5 rupees per dozen to ornate bridal sets with gold and stone work at 2,000 rupees per set. The industry employs women primarily for gold-painting and child labor concerns have been addressed through government school programs since 1990. The Firozabad glass cluster exports to the UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and African markets and is a major source of employment for Agra district.