VARANASI: The serpentine lanes of Varanasi's Lallapura neighbourhood wear a badge of honour distinct from the halo of spirituality that crowns this ancient city on the banks of the Ganga.
In the many small dwellings that dot Lallapura, artisans sit cross-legged on the floor and work on panelled looms for hours to create bespoke military badges and regimental insignias that sit regally on the epaulettes, berets, collars and cuffs of armed forces across continents.
"We count the British royals among our clients," says Shadab Alam, who runs one of the more famous outlets there with his father Mumtaz Ali.
"Our family has been engaged in this trade for three generations. We supply to militaries in the US, UK, Africa, UAE, Japan, Chile, France and Spain, among other countries."
Lallapura has about 200 artisans skilled in making hand-embroidered military and royal emblems, crests, insignias for uniforms, cap badges, trimmings, and other decorative elements.
Painstaking work goes into the intricate zardozi designs, embellished with fine threads of gold and silver.
"Crafting a single military badge requires seven to eight hours of labour," says Shadab.
"A highly skilled artisan can produce a maximum of two badges a day. The appreciation we get for our work brings satisfaction and motivation."
Supplies are routed through exporters based in Delhi, Mumbai and a few other cities each month. Almost all of these are repeat orders.
As Shadab points out, exclusivity is the buzzword in this unusual business. Sticklers for tradition such as the British royalty, schools and clubs that function under the monarchy, and the royal army and navy, wouldn't settle for anything less.
"We have also fashioned crowns and other products for the British royals, using genuine gold and silver threads," says Shadab.
A small badge can require up to 2gm of gold and silver threads, making these military parapher-nalia exceptionally luxurious and regal.
When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Varanasi in 2018, PM Narendra Modi gifted him an insignia crafted at Shadab's unit as a souvenir. His father Mumtaz takes pride in the fact that clients speak highly of the quality of their products.
Besides military badges, artisans of Lallapura also receive orders from fashion houses to create customised items. The primary materials that go into the making of badges and insignias are zari, a combination of gold and silver threads, and silk.
The craft got a boost in 2014 when zardozi was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
"GI certification provides legal safeguards for traditional knowledge and enables artisans to market their work better," says GI expert and Padma Shri winner Rajani Kant.
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