Bhopali Batua’s fight for reinvention: Struggle of the heritage

For 60-year-old Zulekha Khan sitting beside her ‘adda’ (wooden frame) is like meditation. This is her small office space where she finds peace. She clamps on her seat at 10 am--takes out the thread, inspects the design patterns on the golden satin cloth and starts weaving the ‘Bhopali Batua’.

Most days she works till 10 pm. Sometimes her daughter-in-law Rehana also joins her.

And even on the days when there is no order, Zulekha sits beside her more than 1.5-meter-long ‘adda’, innovating on new patterns and building the art.

The ‘Bhopali Batua’ – a traditional heritage of Bhopal has become a designer accessory. However, the shortage of skilled manpower and financial hiccups is gradually eclipsing it into oblivion.

Zulekha learnt the art from a training centre at 20 years of age. At that time, she used to earn ₹3.50 for each purse.

Forty years later, she is earning ₹50 for each product. “There are very few craftsmen who work with hand. I am one of the few survivors.”

Covid, she says has also taken a toll on the business. “Before Covid surfaced, I used to go to train girls at workshops. This helped me get business. Ever since these interfaces have stopped, my business has also been hit.”

Zulekha’s daughter and daughter-in-law, who were also into this business, have now migrated elsewhere.

The muti-hued, batua made in velvet with two sets of strings –one for opening and the other for closing was originally used in the Nawab era to carry paan, laung supari, gutka and small currency. Over the years, it got embellished and metamorphosed into a beautiful accessory to go with the dress. The batua is decorated with strings of gold and silver wires—sometimes pearls. While the embellishments are all imitations, there was an era when pure metals were imprinted on the velvety material.

Preserving a heritage

Saman Khan embraced the business of batua making not for commercial reasons but to bring alive the lost glory of this heritage. “It all started when I was looking around for some of these traditional pieces in the city for a close associate. I could not find any. This was when I decided to restore the richness of these purses.”

Saman started training girls into making the batuas, and moved on to place exhibitions and branding them.

A few years after the business started taking its wings in 2017, Covid struck. “This was a tough time for all of us. We had problems in purchasing the raw materials, the workers stopped coming and interacting with the vendors virtually was a big challenge.”

The business has now bounced back, she says. “I am getting online orders from international customers. “

Her basic batua starts from ₹300 and goes up to ₹1,000-5,000.

Saman is happy that her efforts have helped. “More than my business goals, I feel a sense of accomplishment on what I have done to revive the craft.”

The 150-year-old shop of Sunil Parekh is a reminder of the richness of the batuas. The Nawab of Bhopal had requested his ancestors to make something that could be given as a gift.

“The market is good. But the workers are migrating to other areas.” Sunil and his son are making efforts to tap new talent for this work. “We make all attempts to motivate them.”

Mixed market

Fahad Khan forayed into the business after his father’s death. He is still understanding the nitty gritty. “My mother taught me the art and I am savouring it.”

Fahad says that his business had collapsed during the Covid. “The recovery curve is good. I am happy that the business is bouncing back.”

He, however, relents that the craft is being dwarfed by market pressures and lack of artisans. The Zari Center near the Moti Masjid, one of the oldest zardozi training centre, set up in 1956 bustles with artistic hues – four craftsmen are glued to their intricate designs on their frame, pulling the strings and pushing the beads -- all meeting their deadlines.

“There has never been a lean season for the Bhopali Batuas. Their demand picks up even more during the wedding season. Most of the Batuas are customised according to the dresses,” says Farha Nadeem, the main coordinator at the Zari Centre.

Munawwar Khan has been in the business for 50-60 years. He disagrees that the market is robust. “We are not getting customers for our business. Covid has made this worse. International travellers have dipped and this has taken a toll.”

Jaiprakash Zariwalla who runs a 68-year-old Bhopali Batua shop in Old city agrees.

“This business has been slapped by market pressures. Covid made it even worse. There is stiff competition from leather purses. The business is almost dead.”

The market may be inclement. The demand may have dimmed.

But for Zulekha Khan the wooden frame will always be sacrosanct. Her day begins and ends with it.