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| Chinese incursion making inroads into Indain festivities, people allured | | | Mishu Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu , Nov 3: With Diwali on cards , Jammuites are already on a shopping spree. Denizens are busy purchasing festival goodies, but the invasion of Chinese electric goods into Indian markets has made the traditional earthen lamps (diyas) take a back seat.
‘Diyas’, which are considered auspicious, has now slipped off the priority list of festival shoppers. The festival of Diwali has undergone many changes over the years. Fancy alternatives to traditional ‘diyas’ have hampered the livelihood of several potters in Dehradun..
Ram Kumar , a potter , whose family has been involved in making diyas for generations, said, “There were times when we supplied thousands of earthen lamps and other traditional earthen items during the festival, but now, the demand has decreased gradually. People are opting for designer and fancy lamps. We hope to do sound business this festive season and wish Goddess Lakshmi would give us her blessings.”
“The festival of Diwali may have undergone certain changes with advancement and technology, but customs and traditions remain the same. There are still a few people who prefer earthen lamps to perform puja in a traditional way,” said Buddha Ram, a potter.
Even though traditional earthen lamps have not lost their flavour in the conventional way of the celebration of the festival of lights, people in Jammu are adding a new taste to the festivity by purchasing decoration lamps and lights, which are made in China.
Blame it on technology that has provided alternatives to Indian shoppers at affordable prices that a majority of people prefer fancy candles and Chinese lights nowadays.
Chinese lamps and lights are in great demand and shopkeepers are having a good time selling these lamps. Not only these lamps are available at cheaper rates with a wide variety and range, they are moreover a profitable deal for the shopkeepers also.
According to traders, the main reason behind the decline in the demand of earthen lamps during Diwali is the wide variety of Chinese electric lights, which are fancy, attractive and can be bought at reasonable prices in the Indian market.
“The method of lighting an earthen lamp is time-consuming and the rising prices of its fuel - oil and ghee - could be the reason for preferring artificial lights over traditional diyas by a majority of people,” said Satish, a diya seller .
“Due to the increased demand for these lights, this year, shopkeepers have to visit Delhi twice to bring the stock from there. People are very much enthusiastic about these lights as they say that these lights are economical and don’t consume much electricity besides they look beautiful in the house” said Ankit Malhotra a resident of Gandhi Nagar.
Also, with outlets like Archies and other indigenous candle manufacturers in the capital, many people are getting attracted to fancy and synthetic candles. “Every year during Diwali, we get new kinds of candles and diyas.
“This year, we have introduced the traditional diya in the form of scented candle in attractive packaging. These are not very costly and can be gifted,” said enthusiastic salesgirls at Art Home, a gift store.
However, some potters said that though Chinese lights are a huge rage among residents, many others still prefer the traditional way of celebrating Diwali with earthen lamps.
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