Home ›› 21 Oct 2022 ›› Nation
Diwali artisans in different places of Rangpur are passing busy time as the festival is only a few days away.
Diwali or Deepawali (clay lamp), known as the festival of lights, will be celebrated on October 24 this year.
An artisan is prepared to make 30,000-80,000 pieces of lamp to sell in the local markets centring the celebration of the festival. They have begun the preparations for the products a month back.
They hope to get the expected benefit of selling lamps in the market this year. The demand for the lamp is around 15 crores in eight districts of Rangpur division, said many artists.
Milon Chandra, 45, an artist at Boirati village under Mithapukur upazila of the district, said he has targeted to prepare 60,000 lamps this year. He already has finished preparing 50,000 pieces and sold them in the market. The remaining 10,000 will be prepared within three days.
“The wholesale traders are buying lamps from us. They often pay us in advance for the products,” he said.
“We are selling 100 lamps to the traders at Tk 90-100 each on average while the price was Tk 60-70 in the previous years,” he added.
Basonti Rani, 50, of Kumarpara village in Mogholhat union under Lalmonirhat Sadar, said making lamps is her ancestral job.
She said the seasonal job helps a lot to support her five family members. “It needs hard labour and an artistic bent to make the lamps.”
The cost of the preparation for 100 lamps is around Tk 40, and they are selling the products at Tk 100. Basonti prepared 80,000 lamps this year. She is very happy as she got a huge profit from selling the products to the traders and the devotees in local markets.
Uttom Kumar Pal, 55, of Kumarpara village under Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram district, said there was no business at all over Diwali during the last three years due to the Covid-19-induced crisis.
“The villagers are busy crafting the products targeting the festival. They hope to get more profits this year.”
The cost of lamp preparation has become high as the prices of soil and straw have increased. They are preparing two types of lamps. One is sun-burnt, and the other is burnt in kiln. Both have demand in the market.
Suresh Shah, 60, a trader in Kalibari Gaibandha district, said, “ I am selling 100 products at Tk 150 each while I buy them from the craftsmen at Tk 100.’’
The traders, craftsmen, and retail sellers will get a boon in the business this year, he added.
President of Rangpur Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikyo Parishod Sushanto Kumar Bhowmic said pottery is a major part of their traditions.
It still has huge demand despite the acceleration of technology, he said.
“Around five lakh families are living in eight districts of the division. Each of the family buys at least 300-1,000 pieces of lamp to celebrate Diwali. Besides, the Hindu people use them to light shops, homes, temples, and crematoriums regularly.”
He also said Diwali has an inner significance which refers to the celebration of the inner light of knowledge, dispelling ignorance.
The festival lasts five days. On the first day, people clean their houses and buy kitchen utensils or gold as a sign of good fortune. On the second day, colorful decorations and clay lamps are furnished.
Day three, the main day of Diwali, brings families together for Lakshmi puja, during which they praise the Goddess Lakshmi and host grand dinners. The same festivities then continue on the fourth and fifth days, with the exchange of gifts and welcoming families and friends to homes.
Each day of the festival is associated with six different principal stories. Worshipping of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is an important part of Diwali that signifies the welcoming of prosperity and wealth.
