Diwali, the festival of lights, is incomplete without diyas. Lighting earthen lamps on Diwali is an age-old tradition that is followed at Indian households. Not only Diwali, diyas are also an integral part of the Hindu tradition, which sees people lighting these earthen lamps inside temples, in front of deities and even near the tulsi (basil) plant.
The ritual of lighting diyas on Diwali can be traced back to the times of Ramayana. Going by mythology, citizens of Ayodhya had decorated the city with thousands of diyas to welcome Lord Rama after 14 years of exile. Since then diyas have become synonymous with Diwali. That said, over the years, demand for diyas has declined, with the industry taking a massive hit. Until a few years ago, potters and their families would struggle to meet deadlines in the run up to Diwali, with each family producing thousands of earthen lamps in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Today, the traditional earthen lamps and their makers face a huge threat from the decorative lights and ready-made plastic diyas that are imported from China. Given that the Chinese substitutes are inexpensive, have a better finishing and can be reused, traditional diya makers face a big challenge. Needless to say, these inexpensive substitutes have also changed the mindset of people, who no longer want to soil their hands in oil and wick.
However, there are still a few potter families, who wait for this time of the year expecting diya sales to pick up. Many are even trying to innovate and create new designs to attract buyers. Sunday POST visited Nuagaon Kumbharasahi in Jatni, where a few potter families are making an effort to keep alive the art with whatever limited resources they have.
Till a few years ago, Nuagaon would witness a huge rush ahead of Diwali, with each potter producing more than 10,000 diyas. However, today these potters are struggling to make ends meet, with many having shifted to other professions.
Mina Muduli, who has been into the diya-making business for the last three decades, says that of the 30 odd families in Nuagaon that were into this profession, only two have held on to the family tradition. “I learnt the art form my mother-in-law. It is our family tradition. Earlier, families that were in the business of brick making, used to make diyas but now they have drifted to other professions given the decline in demand and sales,” she says.
The 51-year-old lady says that her husband, who was a full-time diya maker, now works as a mason and occasionally chips in ahead of Diwali to help her. “I give my entire time to diya making but my son and my husband only help me occasionally these days. They have realised that it is impossible to run a family if everyone sticks to this profession,” says Mina.
Besides the decline in demand, shortage of clay and firewood is also one of the major reasons behind diya makers switching professions. “The biggest reason is that people are no longer interested in buying traditional diyas as they find it out of fashion. Instead, they prefer the fancy Chinese products,” she adds.
Most of the times, these handmade earthen lamps are made by the women members of kumbhar families, while the men engage in producing bigger clay products like pots on the potter’s wheel.
“Once we are done with our household chores, we don’t have anything to do. So, instead of sitting idle, we prefer doing something productive. I took to diya making and created around 100 pieces a day. Earlier, the scene was different. Today, we have to buy clay and firewood as most of the nearby lands in Jatni have been occupied by apartment builders Also, earlier we could procure firewood free of cost from the nearby jungles but that isn’t possible anymore. The cost of production has increased and at the same time the demand is declining. We hardly manage to make any profit from making diyas,” laments 55-year-old Nila Muduli.
There are other costs that have become additional burden for the diya makers. Most of these potters have to hire labourers to get the clay and firewood transported to their workshop. “There’s no point putting in so much effort and then struggle to sell them. Most of the professional diya makers have become carpenters, masons, drivers or are running small grocery stores,” says Nila.
Kartik, whose family has been into the profession of diya making for more than a century, decided to take up the job of a mason, as he was finding it difficult to make ends meet. “My forefathers started it and it was a lucrative business but I am struggling to keep alive my family tradition. There has been no support from the government for which we have to depend on other sources of income,” he says.
The finished product might look simple but, diya-making process is quite tedious and intricate. First, the clay needs to be blended with sand and ash, following which it is given a shape and left in the sun to dry. “At least four people are involved in the process of making one diya. And after investing so much labour and time, we hardly make any money. My wife makes diyas throughout the year but I do it only before diwali. We sell 100 diyas for `30, which is nothing. However, retailers make a lot of money by selling them at almost double the price. That’s why our children decided to choose other professions,” adds Kartik.
Mina’s son, Rankanidhi, says that despite the inferior quality of China-made diyas, which have to be discarded after single use, people are shunning the traditional earthen lamps for these fancy substitutes.
“It is impossible to sustain your family by only making diyas. A few like me are still trying to keep alive our family tradition but I really don’t know if the next generation will at all be interested in this profession. The government should do something because it is to a great extent responsible for this sorry state,” says Rankanidhi, adding, “I lend a helping hand to mother before Diwali, so that we can make a few extra bucks but the declining demand for diyas have kept us worried for the last few years.”
Besides China-made lights and ready-to-use plastic diyas, candles too have been giving handmade earthen lamps a run for their money. “Nowadays, candles in the shape of diyas and electric diyas too have caught the fancy of the customers. Their onslaught has triggered an exodus of traditional pots. Retailers who come to buy the diyas say that customers don’t prefer traditional diyas anymore. Moreover, the escalating cost of production and rising price of oil too are reasons behind the decline in sales,” says Nila.
Earlier, she would sell 50,000 to 70,000 diyas every Diwali, which now has gone down to 15,000 pieces. “My husband was a master potter but has completely given up on making diyas, while my son never had any inclination towards the profession, as he realised that it won’t help him earn a livelihood,” she adds.
However, Nila gets hopeful ahead of Diwali and Kartik Purnima expecting to do good business. “I hope people realise the actual meaning of the festival and its cultural importance. They should use diyas and not lights,” says Nila.
Dulla Muduli, who supplies diyas to different shops and temples, says, “I buy diyas from the likes of Mina and Nila and sell them in villages apart from supplying them to temples and retail outlets. Earlier, I used to make diyas but for the last 10 years I have only been selling diyas.” She quit the profession owing to the rising cost of clay and firewood. “Earlier, we used to receive bulk orders for diyas ahead of Diwali but they have all dried up. Temples are the only place from where we continue to get orders across the year,” she adds.
Nila’s daughter-in-law says that procuring clay and firewood is a bigger problem than the price. “Most farmers in this region are selling off their land to property developers. And those who haven’t, can’t meet the demand and start charging more,” says Dula.
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP