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‘Khand wale khidone’, diyas fading out of market

JALANDHAR: The festival of lights is here and despite the easy availability variety of sweets and lighting options, the traditional touch is missing.

‘Khand wale khidone’, diyas fading out of market

A shopkeeper displays sugar toys ahead of Diwali in Jalandhar. Photo: Sarabjit Singh



Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, October 17

The festival of lights is here and despite the easy availability variety of sweets and lighting options, the traditional touch is missing. ‘Khand wale khidone’ (edible sugar toys) and ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps) which once sold like hot cakes have over the past few years faded into obscurity.

A few decades ago, Diwali celebrations were not considered complete until sugar toys and earthen lamps were the part. Now, with myriad kind of sweets and Chinese lighting options in the market, the demand for the two traditional items has decreased considerably.

Fancier decorative items like designer ‘diyas’ and candles cast out in metal or wax, lanterns and a variety of delicious-packed chocolates have pushed the edible sugar toys and ‘diyas’ to the margins.

Only a handful of potters and traditional sweet-makers are left in the city. “Many people living in rural areas still demand sugar toys as they cannot afford expensive sweets, while the preferences of urban populace have completely changed,” says one of the oldest sweet shop owners of the city.

Two or three years ago, a majority of shops in main markets of the city used to dish out sugar toys, but a variety of other attractive options have taken over the traditional sweet, which is now limited to the markets falling in villages or periphery of the town.

“Only a handful of people are now preparing these sugar toys, while many have stopped making it due to almost no demand,” says Jaswant Singh, a sweet shop ower.

“Four to five shops used to engage in making small bowls of edible sugar. These bowls are used as ‘shagun’ (good luck) during festivals or other occasions. All these products were in great demand in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, but not anymore,” says Jaswant.

The art of pottery is also dying a slow death in urban areas. However, there are a handful of artisans who are keeping the old art alive. “I am carrying forward our family legacy. But nowadays, we are facing a lot of problems in getting good quality mud from nearby areas. Though children in our family know how the art, they are not interested in taking up the profession as it is not rewarding anymore,” says Kala Devi (70), who has been making diyas for past 40 years.

Sarbans Lal (62), another trader, says most shopkeepers have now shifted to the business of preparing ‘mishri’ and ‘meethe channe’ for gurdwaras and phuliya, makhane, pickles, jam and murabbe.

The change in eating habits of the people is the major reason why the trade has almost disappeared, Sarbans says, adding that unlike chips and snacks, these edible toys were never sold in packets and no one ever highlighted the nutritious value of these products and people of today’s generation, thinking it is made of high amount of sugar, consider it a high calorie sweet and simply avoid eating it.

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