|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The traditional
terracotta diya with its flickering flame is the leitmotif and it has
found its way on a host of things ranging from aprons to be worn while
cooking the special Diwali meal or on bibs for the special Diwali
dribble by babies. It is not just the fir tree and snowman but diyas
that have found their way onto table runners and dining mats.
The arty experiments with the diya native to India are indeed innovative. To keep up with this innovation, the wayside potters are selling diyas with intricate floral designs rising out of clay thalis or embellished with the images of gods and goddesses. "Our potters are truly amazing with the quality and intricacy of work they create to be sold at so minimal a price," says Garima Dikshit, picking up some beautifully worked diyas from a wayside potter. The deities of the
Festival of Lights are the ever-loved Lakshmi and Ganesha, the former
bestowing wealth and the latter an auspicious beginning. The print of
Lakshmi resplendent in red and rising out of the lotus flower painted
byRaja Ravi Varma, first marketed by the artist in the first quarter
of the 20th century, is still very much in demand come festival time.
Ganesha, of course, is the most-sold God any time of the year but
Diwali time it is in still greater demand.
If the bazaars and malls are bedecked with Diwali goodies, the online stores are luring customers by offering seasonal décor. Most of the deities come manufactured from China and some years ago, there was a fracas when some Chinese manufacturer seated Ganesha on an elephant and not a mouse which is the designated vehicle for the deity as per Hindu mythology. But the error was not repeated a second time. The candle is not native
to India as the good-old diya is but nevertheless it has been part of
the Diwali craft for long years. There are candles and candles.
Scented candles in varying shapes have been very popular for several
years but every Diwali, one finds novel efforts in handmade candles.
Sometimes it is a play with form, at other times, it is flora and
fauna pressed waxed in and this year-long bamboo tripods holding cup
candles are very much the festive fad. Over the years, the traditional
fanoos or lantern too has undergone many fancy changes. Diwali also
has its share of star lanterns and while this art may have been
inspired by the Christmas stars, yet the colours are so very
traditional that they capture the spirit of Indian celebration in hues
of yellow, orange and vermilion.
"No longer, the humble tissue paper, which was called guddi kagaz in our childhood in the 1960s but elaborate designs in handmade paper, silk, and even glass are a part of the festive fare," says Neelima Sharma. The criticism often directed at the festive buying, spending and gifting is that Diwali has become far too commercial. However, institution and non-governmental organisations have been setting up Diwali craft bazaars where the artefacts are made by the disadvantaged and the proceeds from their sale help them earn livelihood. The Blind School Diwali Mela in New Delhi has been a popular shopping centre for the elite who like to splurge and yet feel content that it has after all been for a good cause. The more recent Jamia Diwali Bazaar sells craft made by the local girls. According to Lora Prabhu, director of the Centre for Equity and Inclusion (CEQUIN) working in the area, "Training in contemporary designs for traditional skills is first provided to the second or third generation migrant women and girls. Then we help them market the crafts." Sadly many of these girls are victims of prostitution and are trying to make an alternate livelihood. Schools for children with special needs in Chandigarh as well many other towns sell craft made by the students at Diwali melas. The Diwali diya is lit perhaps for such courageous efforts to start anew. Doing it at home While the bazaars ranging from the wayside to the online offer many arty purchases but perhaps the best art is the one which is done at home with naivette. There are many who still like to decorate the diyas at home painting them bright red or greed and then embellishing them with tinsel, sequins or beads. The art of the Rangoli has been practiced at home for hundreds of years using flowers and grains to decorate the floor in a festive design. Later it moved to chalk powder or coloured saw dust. Of course, Rangoli stickers are much in vogue but there are some who will resist such an instant alternative and work painstakingly with their own hands because that makes for that is art with heart.
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
I
