Bareilly Jhumka Pole (Photo Credit: Twitter)
New Delhi:
The 60s classic song that got the Uttar Pradesh town Bareilly into the map of Bollywood, in Asha Bhosle’s mellifluous voice, ‘Jhumka Gira Re Bareilly ke bazaar mein’ is now a living reality. After a wait of several decades, the city on Saturday got a 2 quintals heavy jhumka, suspended from a 20-feet high pole that will not let you search for it all over again.
Bareilly ka Jhumka’ or the danglers for which it is famous, made of brass now has an address. The iconic heirloom was inaugurated by union labour minister Santosh Gangwar on Saturday at Parsa Khera zero-point roundabout on National Highway 24. And the size almost made up for the lost time.
The location is chosen in a way that hardly anyone can miss it on entering the city, if you are coming from New Delhi, is this fabled ornament
Finally #bareilly has got its lost #jhumka, installed by BDA ' jhumka gira re bareilly k bazaar mein' @bareilly @BareillyKiBarfi @TOIBareilly pic.twitter.com/gWXeu1ud4m
— Zenith (@Zenith09103147) February 9, 2020
The city got its branding in 1966 thanks to that popular number ‘Jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazaar main’ sung by film star Sadhana in the movie ‘Mera Saya.’
Originally conceived in early 90s, the project hit a wall due to fund crunch and lack of good location. An IANS report quoted BDA secretary AK Singh saying that, “The ambitious ‘jhumka’ project was in the limbo for a long. However, the project has now been worked upon and a new location near Parsakhera, at the entrance of the city. We have sought the NHAI’s approval. We hope to get it soon, and as soon as it happens, the work will commence.”
Apart from giant ‘jhumka’, the project will also install two ‘surme daanis’. The jhumka and the surme daani will be decorated with intricate zari work and spectacular stones. The proposal, confirmed by the BDA officials, will see construction of jhumka with 2.43 metre diameter.
The 20-feet high shiny yellow gold dangler with a brown emblem and a hook has a diameter of eight feet and was cast in brass in Moradabad, the city famous for the metal. It was designed by an artist from Gurugram. Sources informed HT that the project has cost Rs 60 lakh .
So next time you go to Bareilly give your danglers a miss as you get to pose infront of those gigantic jhumkas.
