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Diwali 2018: Jaipur potters beat China with desi swag

Several potters who were traditionally selling earthen lamps of various shapes and sizes are now sculpting figurines of gods and goddesses worshipped on Diwali.

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The mention of kumhar (potter) during Diwali invariably rakes up the imagery of a man surrounded by earthen lamps (diyas). But as they say the traditional mould of the diya-making kumhar has been broken now. Instead, we have the next generation potters who are retailing fabulous terracotta and earthen artefacts that are more likely to add to the festive decoration than light up your home. 

Several potters who were traditionally selling earthen lamps of various shapes and sizes are now sculpting figurines of gods and goddesses worshipped on Diwali. “We use terracota as a material for the smooth finish. Everyone comes to buy diyas. But people stop to look around when you have something different to offer,” says Ramniwas, who occupies a sprawling space on the Janpath. 

Like him, Meena, an artist who works on earthen wares has put up an entire range of beautifully chiseled wares. The use of primary colours makes the decorative items more attractive. “What you see here are naturally costlier than diyas, but they look good. People come to me to buy diyas which is my bread and butter, but these items get me a better profit margin,” the woman retailing the items at Malviya Nagar told DNA.

Just when you thought that the ‘Chinese lights’ have destroyed the market of potters, they have reinvented themselves. The promotion of natural goods at schools has also helped their cause. “We usually bought around two dozen diyas on Diwali and decorated our home with electric lights, but this year we bought a pack of 51,” says Shalini Mathur, a resident of Vidhyadhar Nagar. “This is because, my daughter who is in class 6, insisted that we buy mitti ke diye (earthen lamps) as they are nature friendly and don’t add to junk,” she said.

The diya-making kumhar is, therefore, back in vogue with growing awareness to light a diya on diwali by younger generation. “We are making all kinds of big small and other kinds of decorative diyas depending on the demand of the consumers,” said Nathuram a diya seller sitting on Sehkar Marg. The diyas are priced 70 paisa onwards depending the size and the kind of diya one is asking for.“The response has improved over the last year. People are getting traditional diyas after campaign on social media and in schools to go for diyas,” he said speaking to DNA.

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