Jamshedpur potters optimistic about Diwali sales picking up

Jamshedpur, Oct 26: The festival of lights Diwali and diyas are inseparable but the coronavirus outbreak last year had cast a shadow on the business of earthen potters and sellers. However, with the second wave ending up the potters of the city are hopeful for a brighter festival this year.

Janardhan Das, 50, has been making diyas for the last 35 years and learnt the art from his grandfather. The most important aspect about making diyas is getting the clay right and shaping the item perfectly, he said.

It took Das three months to prepare the earthen pots and about 70% stock has already been cleared. “I have devoted a lot of time to making the diyas and spent nights to complete the work a month before Diwali. My wife and son painted 30% diyas as both traditional and coloured diyas are in demand. I am hopeful that the rest will also get sold before Diwali as my son is selling them at Sakchi and has set up a temporary stall to clear the stock.”

For Hindus, light is the symbol of knowledge, wisdom, goodness, happiness, peace, truth and prosperity. Thus lights come in great demand during Diwali. Lighting diyas on Diwali gives a traditional look to the festival, Deepak Pandey, a retired railway official. He added that LED lights cannot replace diyas.

 Even mythological tales on Diwali mention use of diyas, Pandey said. It is said these earthen lights not only help in lighting the physical path but the spiritual path too.

 No doubt in the last many years the manufacturers of the earthen lamps had not faced what they had experienced in the last two years. And, this resulted in the increase of about five to seven times in the prices of the diyas.

 “People want comfort, they don’t want to take pains of putting oil and burning the diyas which are a part of the tradition. For them it’s easy to switch on and brighten their homes. Moreover the input cost of the earthen lamps have grown to such an extent that it has virtually become impossible for the manufacturer to sell a dozen odd lamps for a single digit cost. We are facing the brunt from both sides,” said Takeshwar Singh, an entrepreneur with three decades of experience in running the business of earthen lamps. He said that only few lower middle class people are still the buyers of earthen lamps and others have migrated towards the hi tech market.