Effigy makers hope for good business as festive fervour sets in

Effigy makers in the city hope for doing good business as Dussehra celebrations draw nearer. They have faced a few tough years post Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation that has turned the craft into a costly affair. These 30 odd artists dedicate one-and-half-month of hard work and creativity for making colourful effigies.

Vinod Kumar, who is a sixth generation effigy maker and has been doing business from the Lohgarh area, shared how making tallest effigies took a large chunk of their money.

“The tallest effigy, which is 120 feet, we have made is for Durgiana Temple Dussehra celebrations this year. An amount of Rs 2 lakh was spent on making this effigy. Though our investment has increased as prices of paper, bamboo, colour paints and crackers are touching the sky, we get a few orders for effigies,” he said.

Vinod, who also works as a tailor for other 10 months of the year, learnt to make effigies from his grandfather Banwari Lal, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh. He was among one of the leading effigy makers in Amritsar.

“Like me, most effigy makers in the city have been doing this work from past several decades. My grandfather taught many others the craft. We used to get orders from Tarn Taran and other nearby areas. This year too, I got orders for making effigies from Dhilwan, Jandiala Guru and nearby villages,” said Vinod.

He is teaching this craft to his sons despite not earning much from the business. “For us, it’s not just about doing business, but passing on the craft to the next generation. It takes two months of hard work to make effigies that everyone cheers for. These towering effigies are a symbol of faith and festivities. Effigy makers should get some subsidies on raw material during the festival season so that their hard work gets them the due which they deserve,” he said.

Another effigy maker Manoj Kumar, also from Uttar Pradesh, shared that everyone in the family had some work. “Making these effigies requires family efforts. Arranging bamboos to form the skeletal structure to painting faces, pasting papers and placing firecrackers inside effigies requires all hands in the family. Even kids are engaged in drawing expressions and colouring or painting them,” he said.

They spend Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakh on making effigies that go beyond 100 feet, while the smaller ones from two feet onwards carry a price tag of Rs 300 and upwards.