New dandiya designs flood market; as many as 60 varieties ranging from Rs4 to Rs65 a pair available in city.
Come Navratri and the sale of dandiyas soars rapidly. The most important props for performing raas, dandiyas are available in as many as 60 varieties and ranges from Rs4 (mostly for kids) to Rs65 a pair. Revellers, who usually buy the conventional wooden dandiyas that cost somewhere between Rs15-Rs25, are now opting for the more trendy and decorative ones.
New designs for dandiyas have come in this year as well, and the most popular among enthusiasts are the ones with puppets hanging on them and which are available for Rs50. Also flooding the shops are the Chinese dandiyas with disco lights, but they are not of very good quality and seem to attract more children than serious raas players.
As a matter of fact, Ahmedabad has the biggest dandiya manufacturing market in the country, and the leading among these city manufacturers is Kalupur-based Gohel Dandiyas, wholesale manufacturers of fancy and attractive dandiyas. “We make more than 80 lakh sets of dandiyas every year, and employ some 60-70 women for about eight months to decorate the sticks,” said Jayendra Gohel, owner of Gohel Dandiyas. Apart from selling dandiyas in Gujarat, the firm also exports dandiyas across the country to states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan and Bangalore.
After Gujarat, Maharashtra has the biggest market for dandiyas, said Gohel. “In fact, after television shows like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and others started showing exclusive episodes on Raas and Garba, the demand for dandiyas have gone up significantly,” he added. The idea of dandiyas for Mataji’s temples was introduced for the first time by the Gohels. “Till date every person used to keep dandiyas in the temples of the Mataji during the Navratri, but none thought of making small dandiyas for the deities. We introduced the concept this year, and it has already become a hit among customers,” said Gohel.
“Each one of us makes around 50 pairs of dandiyas every day. And among all the different designs, the tiranga dandiyas are the most time consuming since it requires three different kinds of laces to be woven around the stick,” said Sonal Kadia, one of the artisan who decorates dandiyas.
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