Mad about yellow: India's love affair with gold

We worship it, buy it for investment, wear it as jewellery, weave it into cloth and even eat it. India's love affair with gold crosses the boundaries of religion and also class — and reaches its zenith in the run-up to Diwali.

"We buy at least a small gold coin in our family every Dhanteras and get the house repainted after Dussehra to welcome Goddess Lakshmi home," says Kandivali resident Ravindra Dave.

Dave is not alone, of course. Most Hindu families work towards purchasing gold at this time. "The ritual is akin to inviting Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity," explains Anant Joshi, a priest from Bhuleshwar. "While some prefer jewellery, most buy gold coins with Lakshmi embossed on the front and her symbol, the Shri Yantra, embossed on the other side. Some have both Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, embossed on the coins."

This gold is used during Lakshmi Puja. In trading communities, a small house called hatari made of mud or silver is kept at the altar, and the coin or jewellery is placed inside, symbolising the residence of Lakshmi in the household. Others simply install the goddess in the form of a kalash on a bed of rice and place another betel leaf with an areca nut atop to symbolise Ganesha.

"Jewellery, coins and precious stones are kept around this formation for the puja," says Joshi. "Since this is linked to wealth for the year ahead, there are strict guidelines on when to buy gold and when the puja should be performed."

Pushya Nakshatra (the birth star of Lakshmi) and Dhanteras during the Diwali season are the two most auspicious days when most gold purchasing occurs.

Like most things Hindu, these observances too come accompanied by a mythological tale — this one about the 16-year-old son of King Hima, whose horoscope predicted his death by snake-bite on the fourth day of marriage. But his bride decided to cheat fate. Laying out all her ornaments and gold and silver coins in a heap at the entrance of the sleeping chamber, she lit lamps everywhere and regaled him with songs and stories so he wouldn't sleep. When Yama, the god of death, arrived in the guise of a serpent, he couldn't enter as he was blinded by the brilliance of the lamps and the jewellery. Yama clambered onto the pile of gold and sat there all night, listening to the stories and songs. In the morning, the fateful time had passed, and he had to return empty-handed. "To this day, Dhanteras celebrates this clever bride," says Joshi.

Pan-India appeal
Buying gold on auspicious days like Dhanteras was once a practice mostly restricted to north and west India. Not anymore, says Somasundaram PR, managing director of World Gold Council, India. "The market has opened up in the last 10-15 years. So what used to be largely regional is now national."

South India — particularly Kerala and Tamil Nadu — are believed to be India's biggest gold markets. And nowhere is the love for the yellow metal more pronounced than in Kerala. Various industry reports peg the state's gold consumption at anywhere between 20-30 per cent of the national total — the highest of any Indian state.

"Gold in Kerala is undeniably a matter of prestige. The aim of many parents is to buy as much gold as they can for their children," says Dr Sobha Nair, a sociologist at the University of Kerala. "But many women are beginning to choose diamonds over gold," she adds, pointing out that traditional jewellery is reserved for special occasions. Like weddings, where multiple layers of gold are worn in one go: there's the Lakshmi mala (usually a necklace of coins with Goddess Laskhmi engraved on each one), palakka mala, manga mala (with paisley-shaped pendants), nagapada thali, mulla mottu (jasmine bud necklace), kaasu mala (another variant of the coin necklace), poothali, pathakkam and karimani mala (the Malayali mangalsutra).

Gold is equally significant for Marwaris. Says Malad-based homemaker Archana Gupta, "Trading communities like Agarwals usually view gold more as an investment. But the artisans or sonars come from Mewari cities like Udaipur and Chittorgarh."
However, that's not to say gold plays any less important a part in certain customs. "The ritual of kanyadaan in Marwari weddings is incomplete without gold. Even a gram of it is a must if it's all you can afford," she adds. In Marwari nuptials, it's customary for the bride's kin to give gold in some form to both the groom and his family. Interestingly, the groom's family is required to give gold only to the daughter-in-law, not her family.
So revered is gold among Marwaris that it's considered poor taste to wear it on the feet in any form — whether as anklets or toe rings. Historically, only royals could do so since it was an affront for commoners to wear a form of Goddess Lakshmi below the knees. This practice is still prevalent today within the community, says Gupta.
Cultural historian Mukul Joshi says the traditional mindset actually makes Indians obsessed with gold. "It's seen as noble and pure and prescribed even in religious texts for use as jewellery and utensils. What the royalty did became an aspiration for others, and that seems to be the only logical conclusion for this (the gold rush) being such popular social practice."

Wearable weaves
India's love for gold goes beyond the realm of tradition. Take attire, for instance. Industrialist Mukesh Ambani's wife Nita grabbed eyeballs for reportedly wearing a Rs40 lakh sari infused with reams of real gold mesh woven with silk. The Ambani bahu is believed to have worn it to a family friend's wedding in Gujarat. It took 36 craftsmen about 12 months to complete the extravagant product.

Then there was Dattatray Phuge, the 'Gold Man' of Pimpri in Pune who shot to fame for his 22-carat shirt that pieced 14,000 interwoven spangles of gold. Weighing a whopping 3.5 kg, this blinder of a shirt costs an estimated Rs1.27 crore. Phuge admitted to wearing gold ornaments daily that weigh no less than 7 kg.

Modern day ostentatiousness aside, museums such as those in Kanchipuram or Jaipur house similar garments woven-in or embroidered with real gold thread. Each of these museums showcases vintage garments of kings and queens who took pride in showing off their gold by wearing it. Known as zari in northern states like Delhi and Rajasthan and pattu or kasavu in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, gold textiles are a common sight in India.

"Today, the consumption of gold threads for infusion in textiles is relatively less than imitation gold threads, but it's still thriving," says Surat-based thread dealer Krunal Jariwala, who produces real gold gossamer.

"While royalty was always known for these buys, owning real gold fabric is not only restricted to them today," he adds. Since an average sari with heavy zari can cost anywhere between Rs20,000-50,000, most relatively-rich businesspeople can afford it. And if one is content with simple zari boota work or some scattering of embroidery, one can get it for far less.

Jariwala feels the exclusivity of zari lies in its processing, which takes around one month to complete. "Pure silk threads are covered with pure silver (of 999 marking) and then covered with a gold bath," he says.
Gold has also found its way to inner wear!

At a trade fair in February 2014, Delhi-based lingerie manufacturer Sona Lingerie unveiled a 'designer gold bra' worth Rs4 lakh. Made of silk, lace and sheer chiffon, it's handcrafted and embellished with diamonds and gold coins. The gold bra, says Pradeep Gupta of Sona Lingerie, is inspired by the Royal Fantasy Bra from Victoria's Secret, which had 4,200 rubies, blue and yellow sapphires and diamonds set in 18-karat gold, with a 52-karat pear-shaped ruby drop centrepiece.

Eating gold
From traditional motichoor ladoos to Chyawanprash, pure gold or silver foil, known as varq, is consumed in many forms.

Mumbai-based varq manufacturer Haji Khalilullah, one of the few to procure traditional varq, believes the origin of edible gold and silver occurred in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago. "It started with Hazrat Luqman (A.S), an ancient hakim. He was bestowed with a gift of knowing the physical, biological and chemical properties of an object by coming in contact with them. When he came in contact with gold and silver, he realised that they can benefit the body and came up with a method to make them edible," he says.

While machine-made varq manufactures are common, the ones doing it authentically follow the hakim's ancient technique. "Thin sheets of pure gold are placed between sheets of tissues made of goat hide. The sheets are hammered, which generates heat and pressure on the gold that begins to make it spread and lead into fine films," says Khalilullah. The same technique is also used to procure real gold ink used on walls or for paintings.

While mithai shops are one of the biggest varq consumers, gold films are also used in Jain temples and Ayurvedic medicine brands. "With one sheet costing about Rs150, it has now become quite accessible," says Khalilullah.

Production vs. Consumption

The applications of gold in India are numerous. This is the world's second largest consumer of gold after China, but production is measly when viewed in light of demand. Annual nationwide yield is barely a few tonnes, says Somasundaram PR. "A Ministry of Mines report says India has approximately 4,500-5,000 tonnes of gold, but a whole lot of prospecting needs to be done."
The solution, feels Somasundaram, is for India to get at least 40 per cent of its consumption through internal sources like recycled gold and even temple gold. "Temple gold can in fact be distributed to the public in the form of coins via banks, and the temples can get a premium. That way, we'll become less reliant on importing refined gold from countries like Switzerland, Dubai and Australia," he says.


All that glitters
Dattatray Phuge's 22-carat gold shirt was assembled on a base of imported white velvet. Embellished with a gold belt and six Swarovski crystal buttons, it has a set of matching rings and cuffs. It took a team of 15 goldsmiths working 16-hour shifts every day for two weeks to create the final product, which weighs 3.25 kg.
Phuge also reportedly owns around 25 rings, six bracelets and 10 chains — all made of solid gold.


Inputs by Yogesh Pawar, Gargi Gupta, Roshni Nair and Sonal Ved