Residents celebrate Pran Prathishtha

Tribune News Service

Aman Sood

Patiala, January 22

Potters here have been facing a shortage of diyas due to the recent surge in demand. All the diya sellers in the city ran out of stock this Sunday as the potters failed to meet the demand ahead of the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

On Monday evening, the city was lit up with religious fervour as firecrackers and diyas could be seen in every nook and cranny. Residents distributed sweets as they do on Diwali, and people from all walks of life were out on the streets throughout the day. Langars were organised at various parts of the city to celebrate the consecration ceremony held in Ayodhya earlier in the day.

Mohammed Nadeem, a diya vendor here, said, “People here, most of whom belong to various temple trusts, residents’ welfare associations, and shopkeepers, bought the whole stock. We have had limited stock over the past two weeks due to the limited sunlight, and whatever diyas we had were sold out before Monday.”

The potters, who otherwise see a dull period after Diwali, wedding season and New Year celebrations, were elated due to the recent surge in demand. “Normally, every year after the festive season, we experience a drastic fall in the demand for diyas, so we start making household items. But this year was special for my family as we made diyas the celebrations and were able to make some money,” said Ramdin, a potter from Banur.

The local cracker industry is also elated because of the increase in the sale of crackers that were in stock after Diwali. Anuj Gupta, a cracked trader here, said,” I made a sale of about Rs 4 lakh in the past three days, which is the highest after Diwali as the residents here have been approaching me for sky-rockets.”

Geeta, a diya vendor at Tripura Market, said, “We have made special diyas for the occasion with ‘Jai Shree Ram’ inscribed on them. They have been selling like hotcakes.”

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