This Article is From Oct 22, 2014

In Kolkata, the Search for Particles of Gold in Dusty Alleys

In Kolkata, the Search for Particles of Gold in Dusty Alleys

"Newaras" have been scratching a living by panning for fine particles swept from jewellery workshops (Agence France-Presse photo)

Kolkata: As 40-year-old Mohammed Iqbal sifts through sludge in the back alleys of Kolkata's jewellery market for gold dust, his weathered face brightens slightly at the recent uptick in work.

For generations, the city's group of "newaras" - gold dust scavengers - have been scratching a living by panning for fine particles swept from the 2,000-odd jewellery workshops operating in the alleys.

Iqbal estimates he normally earns just Rs 150-200 a day from selling flecks of the precious metal. But Diwali brings a bonanza.

"We never got an education. This is the work that my grandfather and my father did and this is what I do now. My two sons do this too. We have no other work," Iqbal told news agency AFP.

In the lead up to Diwali, jewellery workshops go into overdrive with hundreds of craftsmen spending hours at their benches to produce necklaces, bracelets and earrings on sale in showrooms.

Yellow particles are swept outside, while some are washed into drains, surfacing in the alleys where the newaras sift through the sludge to find them.

India is the world's biggest buyer of gold alongside China, and imports normally jump during the festival season, further widening the trade deficit.

Gold traders and importers had been hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government would lift stiff 10 per cent import duties slapped on the metal last year by the previous administration to rein in imports.

Although the duties have remained, the Reserve Bank has lifted restrictions on importing gold, allowing more private agencies to bring in shipments.

Some jewellery manufacturers in Kolkata say the newaras keep production costs down for the industry, which was formed in the 1800s and employs some 20,000 people.

"If they are not doing this, then we have to buy gold and the only gold source is Western countries," said Nabin Kumar Chanbar in his shop which opened in 1883. "They are very... helpful for us because... the wastage of gold is converted to the industry," he said.
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