Come Diwali, wet clay comes alive as artisans churn out diyas

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, October 22

Seventy-nine-year-old Madan Das’s muddy fingers roll over the wet clay as he finds his way on his potter’s wheel to churn out beautiful diyas. Like him, over 50 odd artisans work all day, bringing the city’s very own Kumhaar colony near JMP, Sodal area, come alive every year before Diwali.

“I still remember the days I spent as a child with my grandparents. The grandparents of my grandparents were from Lahore. My father used to narrate me the nostalgia of holding small clay plates to eat ‘feerni’(Pakistani dessert made with milk and rice ), and once done devouring the dessert, how my father used to save those small clay plates and make things out of those,” said Madan Das.

He further added that he was carrying forward his family’s legacy, but for the past few years, he had been facing lot of problem in getting customers. He said although his kids knew how to make diyas, but they were not much keen regarding the profession, as they felt it was not much rewarding as compared to the efforts one puts in while making such products.

Another old potter, Kamlesh, expressing his desire, said he wanted people to buy diyas this diwali from the local artisans, rather opting for Chinese lamps and diyas. He further added that this month of the year was so crucial to them that the profits made during this month would decide their livelihood during the next 11 months.

“During these days of skyrocketing prices, managing livelihood i.e. food, shelter and education expenses of the children had become a cumbersome task as we hardly earn any profit compared to the hard work,” said Kamlesh another potter with disappointment writ large on his face.

Kamla Devi, another potter who was found coloring diyas, while doing her household chores alongside rued the major challenges artisans face now-a-days. She said the market for fancy diyas, pots and other clay products had hampered their sales.

She further said, “We have diyas ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 250, while we also sell it in dozen or per piece price, while in big malls, the same diyas are available for Rs 500, but people still prefer buying those.

“Mostly it is in the festive seasons such as Diwali, Karwa Chauth and occasionally in summers that we make some sale, other than that there are hardly any sales. The complete process of making clay products takes a lot of time, although we manage to sell these in bulk during festivals, the profit we earn is hardly Rs 10,000, which is not enough to fill the needs of the entire family”, said Ram Chandra, who is into the art for the past 55 years.