As Hyderabad gets ready to host the 72nd Miss World Pageant, a team of craftsmen have specially crafted custom lac bangles for each participant of the pageant. Mohammed Anwar and his group of artisans toiled on these intricate pieces of jewellery for the duration of almost a month and prepared a total of 109 pieces. Each bangle is unique to its new owner, with a photo of their face being embedded into the bangle. "Putting photos on the bangles was important and a challenge for us. My team, our workers – they worked day and night to prepare these bangles," explained Anwar.
Lac bangles were GI-certified in 2024 and remain a specialty of the city, especially found in Laad Bazaar, near the city's most recognisable landmark, Charminar. "We have included the contestants' photos and their countries' flag colours, along with the Indian flag colours. By combining these two elements, we have written 'Miss World' on them," said Mohammed Zubair, a craftsman of the group. Anwar & his team hope to find an opportunity to give the product of their hard work to the contestants of the Miss World pageant before they conclude their visit.
