A colour-blind bangles vendor in Bur Dubai sees art in his collection that has gained the appreciation of countless clients
It feels odd to type the next sentence. A colour-blind gentleman sells bangles of every imaginable colour.
Yes, even teal.
Tucked away in the narrow alleys of Bur Dubai, is a small commercial outlet that catches the passer-bys attention with its arrangement of hundreds of bangles across the wall.
The owner, Tahseen, mixes and matches the bangles with such ease and speed that its tempting to disbelieve his condition.
However, its his careful consultation with the customer regarding colour schemes that sends a guilt wave in ones mind for doubting him.
Its sad, he says of his colour-blindness.
I can recognise white, black, dark green and blue, but when it comes to the finer tones and shades, I rely on my customer.
Tahseens strength lies in his ability to identify trends and create combinations of bangles by the dozen that would make any woman smile.
I definitely prefer bangles to other forms of jewellery, he says as he picks up two gold-coloured bangles with intricate curves and slides them on either side of six solid gold-coloured bangles of the same size.
Now Ill take four of these, he says as he brings out two pairs of bangles with small baubles hanging from the middle and completes the set by adding a pair to either end.
A Devdas set, he says, totally convinced that the trend set off by Bollywoods 21st century epic, in terms of accessorising is far from vanishing any time soon.
Everyone wants the Devdas look. The same bangles with the little trinkets dangling from the bottom and its no longer considered excessive to wear more than a dozen bangles on one hand.
He admits that he does find it a tad disturbing when some women get carried away by the bangle boom.
Personally, Id like to see women wear bangles only for special occasions and parties, but not with everyday clothes.
Bangles from India
Tahseens bangles are mostly from Ferozebad, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bombay and Jaipur.
He makes a couple of trips a year to India, where wholesale dealers of bangles present 150 designs each to Tahseen.
I usually select about 10 per dealer and then return with enough stock to last me six months.
Rumour has it that prior to the festive season of Diwali and Eid, women were queuing up outside Tahseens shop.
Its true. It was quite crazy and I couldnt personally create sets for each person as the rush was unmanageable, he says, laughing at the suggestion that he might as well be dubbed as Dubais own bangle-guru.
Tahseens entry into this highly specific area of interest was not, as the clich goes, accidental.
I was determined to do something different and started designing and dealing with jewellery at the age of 17. I used to design necklaces and anklets earlier but have no time for this now, he says.
Barely two years old in Dubai, Tahseen recalls the absence of a specialised bangle vendor in the city when he arrived and surveyed the bazaar area of Bur Dubai.
There were hardly any [bangle] options for women and since I had already worked in this trade and had quite a few contacts, it seemed the natural course of action, he says.
Its probably pointless to mention that his clientele are primarily from the subcontinent, but Tahseen prides himself in tempting, convincing and impressing an American woman to wear 24 bangles on each arm.
That would definitely be a memorable moment especially when you consider that western women rarely wear anything on their arm and if they do its usually a single piece of jewellery.
The wall of his shop stacks more than a couple hundred coloured bangles and he points to the mezzanine floor saying he has many, many more, but wont divulge how many.
I dont count my bangles, he says.
Each set has its own identity and a quick glance to Tahseen reveals their origins.
The ones from Jaipur are made of lac, which are breakable. I also have lac bangles from Kolkata [formerly Calcutta] and theyre more expensive as the base is brass, topped by a layer of lac and high-quality stones, he says.
Options and patterns
Tahseens shop sells both glass and metal bangles and the only difference between the two is that the former is breakable.
Some people prefer glass bangles as its a family tradition that forbids them from wearing metal, though there are more options and patterns available in metal, he says.
But for the man, who assembles an assorted array of bangles to delight women, he has no personal preference.
Tahseen will be married soon and he quickly stresses that he wont be picking the bangles for his bride.
As long as theyre simple in design and pleasant to the ear, they can be of any colour, he says with a wink.
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