Varanasi
The uniqueness of these beads could be gauged from the fact that ‘no two beads can be identical even when they show striking similarity’. An application to this effect was presented in July, 2009 by export promotion commissioner, department of small scale industries and Banaras Glass Beads Association. The GI certificate, awarded on November 10, 2016, will remain valid up to July 2019.
Officials here on Wednesday said that the GI tag would benefit craftsmen by safeguarding its uniqueness which has been challenged by men and machines in China. The state would also be able to generate revenue from the work. The Varanasi glass beads are unique though there are two other similar handicrafts in the county Papanaidupet (Chitoor, AP) and Puralpur (near Hathras).
Asserting that Banaras glass bead was a pure handicraft, officials claimed that the technique used in Varanasi, called lamp winding, makes it unique. In this, glass is transformed into rods or sticks known as canes. Workers melt them at a small heat source, usually a lamp. The glass is wound around a wire. While it is still hot, the bead may be shaped or given colour. Once cooled, beads are knocked down.
Banaras beads association official said more than 5,000 artisan families in Varanasi, parts of Mirzapur and Sonebhadra manufacture 50,000 varieties of glass beads in various shapes.
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