With temperatures soaring the past few days, the small windowless workshops of Zaveri Bazaar should have been unbearable to work in. But they weren’t. That’s because, in the past couple of years, many business owners have installed air conditioners in their karkhanas. The move has brought great relief to workers like Sanjay Sani, who has been crafting intricate jewellery here for 30 years. “Garmi mein garib insaan bhi bardaash nahi kar paata hai (even a poor man cannot tolerate this heat),” he says. The shift to air conditioning happened around 2023, says artisan Sandeep Show. One factor may have been the need to retain workers after the pandemic, when some returned to their West Bengal villages. But rising heat is the big reason, say workers. It’s not just the outside temperature and the cramped interiors—around eight to ten workers may live and work inside a 400-sq-ft room—that makes this work uncomfortable in the summer. The gold casting machines used in workshops generate significant heat as well. To make matters worse, fans cannot be used inside the workshops as the breeze could scatter the fine gold particles produced during the crafting process. Air conditioning has averted the need to adjust afternoon hours, as the state govt’s recent advisory mandates—the ACs are turned on from 3 pm to midnight, says Pappi Das, a jewellery designer. Most artisans here work morning to night with an hour’s break for lunch, he adds. As for water, workers say they rely on tap water, which comes once a day early in the morning. Third-party supply fulfills remaining water needs at a price. Nearly 80% of Zaveri Bazaar’s workshops may now have air-conditioners, says a worker. What of the remaining? Many have simply accustomed themselves to the difficult conditions, says Sani, pointing to the need to make a living. — Ishaan Thadikaren
