Necklaces and bracelet made of rudrakshas have flooded the shops in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, June 3: Guess what has caught the fancy of the Generation Next? Believe it or not it is the rudraksha, which has stormed the capital’s fashion circuit.

Accessories made of rudraksha, which is a dried fruit of a tree, have become a craze among the hip hop generation.

Rakshit Kumar, a student of BIT said: “It has come all of a sudden. And the trend setter has been Kolkata. Some of my friends went to Kolkata and came back with bracelet and necklaces made of Rudrasha. And soon the whole city went wild searching for one. Rudrasha has become the hottest thing among the youths these days.”

Neha Sharan, a student of National Institute of Fashion Designing(NIFD), said: “Even a few days ago, we could not have imagined that the rudraksha will become a fashion accessory. But now it is back with a bang.”

When told that the craze for rudraksha started in Kolkata, she said: “I too have heard that it came from Kolkata. Now the capital seems be captivated by the spiritual powers of the rudrasha. It looks good with everything. Be it a plan T shirt or a beautiful sari.”

Pooja Sharma of St Xavier’s college, said: “I saw one of my friends wearing it a few months ago. I was fascinated by its beauty. I searched for it in all shopping plazas in the capital. But it was nowhere to be found . Finally, I asked a cousin, who lives in Kolkata, to send me some rudraksha necklaces and bangles. But every second shop of the capital has accessories made of rudraksha. It has caught the fancy of the youths.”

Aman Saluja, owner of Hallmark, said: “Rudraksha is selling like hotcake. Many customers come to the shop everyday asking for these. However, these accessories are not made of the original rudrasha. Various kinds of necklaces and bracelet have come to the market.”

According to Samrat Mukherjee, a BIT student, “The necklaces look best with shirts without collars. Since its is so hot everyone is wearing T shirts. The white cotton ones are in this year and the necklines look wonderful with a rudraksha necklace. Men look wonderful in formal shirts and bracelet.”

Bollywood has its fair share of contribution to the rudraksha craze. Rahul Ranjan, an aspiring MBA, said: “Fardeen Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan can be seen wearing these accessories. Fardeen looked so handsome when he wore a rudraksha in Pyar Tune Kya Kiya”. So did Akshay Kumar is Aankhen. A rudraksha adds to ones’ personality.”

Amrita Mukherjee, a student, said: “Films have played a major role in shaping our fashion conscience. But some of my friends have told me that these things are good for the body and the soul. It helps increase concentration and will power. Though I don’t believe in all this, but I cannot ignore it. Anyway, one thing is for sure I am looking good in these accessories and that is reason enough for wearing it.”

Ranjana Sinha, a housewife, said: “Both my sons have bought necklaces made of rudrakshas. I don’t find anything wrong in it. It looks good. In fact, I am planning to buy one for myself. After all it is the latest fashion.”