In Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh and a city known for its Nawabi heritage and artisanship, 55-year-old Azhar Hussain sits at the bench where he has spent years making decorative footwear.
asserted
he → know → footwear
Amid soaring silver prices over the past year, demand for his work has plummeted.
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demand → soar → work
The small workshop sits beside Chowk Bazaar, one of Old Lucknow’s oldest and busiest markets, a famed hub for wedding shopping full of silver jewellery and handcrafts.
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workshop → sit → jewellery
For three decades, Hussain has been one of the bazaar’s busiest craftsmen, making a distinctive form of silver slip-on shoes, known locally as nagras.
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Hussain → make → nagras
He starts by cutting a thin silver sheet into the outline of a nagra, then sketches floral and leaf motifs onto the metal.
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He → start → metal
Hussain then rests the sheet on heated lac, a soft natural resin that cushions the metal while he uses a hammer and engraving tool to tap intricate designs into place.
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he → rest → place
Hussain then bends the silver around a foot-shaped furma, or mould, before fitting it over a base of cardboard, rubber and velvet, soldering the pieces together and polishing the pair.
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Hussain → bend → pair
Craftsmen have used this process to make silver nagras since the 1600s.
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Craftsmen → use → 1600s
Originally, the decorative shoes were made for daily use by the Nawabi, Muslim rulers of the former kingdom of Awadh.
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shoes → make → Awadh
“Silver nagras used to be the most important part of a nawab’s attire,” said 68-year-old Nawab Masud Abdullah, an eighth-generation descendant of Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah, the ninth Nawab of Awadh, who ruled from 1837 until he died in 1842.
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he → use → 1842
“They were not just footwear; they represented our culture and heritage,” he added.
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he → represent → culture
Once reserved exclusively for Nawabs, silver nagras have become a cherished wedding tradition over the last century, embraced by Lucknow’s middle and upper classes alike.
“Our forefathers wore silver nagras every day.
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forefathers → reserve → nagras
Later, they became reserved for celebrations and eventually only for special occasions,” Abdullah explained.
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Abdullah → reserve → occasions
“The good thing was that the tradition spread beyond the Nawabs.
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tradition → spread → Nawabs
People, particularly brides across Lucknow, embrace it as their own and now a bride is considered incomplete without a nagra.”
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bride → embrace → nagra
Hussain and his family of craftsmen have seen this transformation firsthand.
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Hussain → see → transformation
“In the past, only Nawabs could afford these shoes because they symbolised wealth, power and status,” he said.
uncertain
he → afford → wealth
“But over the last seven or eight decades, they became popular among middle-class and wealthy families too, especially for weddings and special occasions.
asserted
they → become → weddings
There are two types of silver nagras — open-toed chappals and closed-toed jutis, and customers can choose different patterns, ornamentation and designs.
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customers → be → patterns
Lucrative trade vanishes
Hussain’s family has been making nagras since the early 1900s and the trade has provided a comfortable living.
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trade → make → living
Before each wedding season, he has typically made about 10 pairs a month, he says, with each priced between $105 and $230 (10,000 and 22,000 rupees).
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each → make → 105
“We lived with dignity,” he said quietly.
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he → live → dignity
“We earned enough to feed our family, educate our children and save a little every month.
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We → earn → little
We never imagined that one day we would struggle even to run our household.”
Over the past year, however, the orders have vanished with the rise in silver prices.
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orders → imagine → prices
The metal was already costing a bit more before the U.S.-Iran war launched in February, owing to tight supplies and growing investor demand.
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war → cost → supplies
But the conflict added another jolt, as uncertainty in global markets drove investors towards silver and put the metal — and the nagras — out of reach for many Lucknow shoppers.
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uncertainty → add → shoppers
Prices for precious metals actually began rising with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in early 2022, but economists say prices surged significantly with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
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prices → begin → Iran
In 2023, silver prices in India largely fluctuated between $725 (70,000 rupees) and $830 (80,000 rupees) per kilogramme, rising to around $985 (98,000 rupees) in 2024.
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prices → fluctuate → 2024
But this year, amid the conflict with Iran, silver prices briefly soared as high as $4,670 (450,000 rupees) per kg before easing after the ceasefire.
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prices → soar → ceasefire
Even now, after some decline, prices are hovering around $2,600 (250,000 rupees) per kg, more than three times their levels just a few years ago.
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prices → hover → kg
Dr. Salahuddin Ayyub, an economist and international trade expert with India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said geopolitical conflicts have triggered unprecedented volatility in global commodity markets.
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conflicts → say → markets
“When stock markets become volatile, investors move their money into safer assets, such as gold and silver,” Ayyub explained.
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Ayyub → become → gold
“This sudden surge in demand pushes the prices of precious metals sharply upwards.”
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surge → push → metals
The consequences have been particularly severe in India, he said, because gold and silver remain deeply intertwined with weddings, other cultural traditions and family savings.
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gold → say → weddings
As prices continue to rise, many households are increasingly opting for lower-cost alternatives, such as artificial jewellery.
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households → continue → jewellery
He warned that while consumers may find substitutes, those whose livelihoods depend on the precious metals industry, including artisans, silversmiths, jewellery shopkeepers and traditional craftsmen, have far fewer options.
uncertain
livelihoods → warn → options
“The impact extends well beyond consumers,” Ayyub said.
asserted
Ayyub → extend → consumers
“Entire communities whose incomes depend on these metals are now facing shrinking demand and growing economic uncertainty.”
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incomes → depend → demand
The surge in silver prices has had another consequence that is often overlooked by the government and policymakers.
asserted
that → have → government
According to Ayyub, when a country witnesses a sharp rise in demand for imported precious metals, governments often intervene to curb imports and protect their foreign exchange reserves.
uncertain
governments → accord → reserves
…and 94 more, not listed.
The Aporia
