Deepavali and Deepa / Diya

With Diwali around the corner, potter community is busy making earthen diyas and pots. However, the festival of lights is yet to light up any hope on their faces… as demand for the traditional lamps has declined with people going for fancy lamps and electric lights. There’s no profit. Moreover, few diyas fall to bits on the way itself. We are compelled to sell these even if extra money is required to put

The demand for traditional diyas has dropped in the last three years. Earlier, one could see hundreds of pot makers having their hands full during Diwali season, but eventually, the numbers have dwindled. Due to shortage of earthen lamps and pot makers in Telangana, the sellers are buying from Gujarat and Calcutta. Due to extended presence of southwest monsoon, the pot makers are finding it hard to craft earthen pots.

Though there is a profit in the work, the incessant rains troubling us as our sheds are small. Most households are preferring plastic and glass products to light up their homes instead of earthen lamps. The increase in the price of raw materials and customers bargaining steadily is resulting in loss for potters. People refrain from bargaining outside. Assume a dozen diyas for us cost around Rs 20, we can’t even expect a Rs 10 more from customers.

There is a declining recognition for handcrafted items. Once customers used to buy a dozen earthen lamps, but today they are buying hardly four or five. Meanwhile, the sad state of the pot makers and traditional diya sellers have caught the attention of common citizens.