JOIN USThousands of traditional clay lamps made in Rohtak and Jhajjar towns of Haryana will light up the capital on Diwali night with almost 50 potter families camping in the city to supply their wares to traders.
The potters from the neighbouring state have been pursuing the profession for generations and their lamps have already made a mark in Delhi’s specialised Diwali bazar’s in Sarai Kale Khan, Sadar Bazar and INA.
Jagat Pal Singh a potter from Jhajjar who sales his diyas near INA market said the demand for clay lamps in the capital has given the much-needed financial support to artisans like him.
“For the past 15 years, a good number of wholesale dealers from the capital have been placing orders for diyas. The demand has been rising every year,” he said.
“There is a revival in the demand for clay lamps in the recent years. We are earning well as the demand has increased in Delhi,” said Mahendra Singh, another potter.
Even though traditional Diwali pottery items are facing tough competition everywhere from Chinese products, including factory-made plaster-of-Paris lamps, the craze for earthen lamps in Delhi seems to have not gone down.
Rajbir, another potter from Jhajjar said, “Around 50 potters families from our town, which come here every year to sell pottery products before Diwali, earn earning handsomely.”
“The smallest of the Diwali lamps costs Rs 30 for a dozen. The next big size is priced at Rs five each,” he said.
The potters bring their wares in mini-trucks which double up as makeshift homes for their stay in the capital. They also pitch tents near the vehicles and their lamp stocks.
Some Jhajjar and Rohtak families have parked their stock-laden trucks in the Sarai Kale Khan area, virtually converting into a large warehouse of earthen lamps.
Other decoration items like flower pot and candle stand cost between Rs 50 and Rs 20, he said. “There are around 200 families of potters in Jhajjar and Rohtak which are engaged in making lamps to meet the Diwali demand. They work all through the year to build the stock,” said Somveer Khohal, another potter.
“Lamp-making has developed into an unorganised industry in these areas with hundreds of workers depending on this for their livelihood,” he added.
Umed Singh, a Delhi trader who deals in earthen lamps said, “Products from the Jhajjar-Rohtak region have a near-monopoly in the market in the national capital region.”
“Apart from simple diyas, which are durable due to the quality of earth used in making them, the designer diyas of these artisans are very attractive and have managed to establish a special customer base in upper scale commercial hubs,” he said.