Diwali 2022: Dharavi’s potter community trying to meet higher demand for diyas this year

Family making diyas in Dharavi. Pic/Anagha Sawant

A month before the Diwali festival starts, the potter community residing inside the bylanes of Kumbharwada in Dharavi gears up for their business season.

Ahead of the Diwali festival, the potter community in Dharavi's Kumbharwada is busy making and selling mud lamps (diyas) in order to earn their yearly business. While the pandemic has hit their business harder, they are trying to revive their yearly business this Diwali.

The potters can be seen making traditional Diwali lamps on the power wheel, painting them, or packing them after giving the final touches in Kumbharwada.

A 73-year-old Bhanuben Solanki is one of the diya sellers at Kumbharwada. While earlier, during Diwali, she sold diyas in Dadar market, now due to her age, she only sells them to wholesalers visiting Dharavi.

Solanki, who was multitasking by selling and decorating the diyas, says that she is happy with this year's business.

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Solanki said, "For the past two years, we were not able to make any business but this year we are overachieving our usual Diwali business. The business was very low during the first two years of the pandemic and so many people and wholesalers came to buy the diyas this year in larger quantities."

"We will come to know about the actual growth in the business next year by comparing it with this year. We feel that because of last two years' low-key celebration, this year there is more demand in the market," added 35-year-old Karan Solanki, son of Bhanuben, who helps her during Diwali to sell the diyas on the streets of Kumbharwada.

"I have a different professional life but just to help my mother with her business, for a month I visit Dharavi to assist her," said Karan.

Karan along with his mother sells diyas. Pic/Anagha Sawant

Wholesalers from across the country especially from Pune, Dapoli, Surat, Vapi start visiting the Kumbharwada to buy diyas at wholesale rates a month prior to Diwali.

While the potters usually make the diyas in advance, wholesale sellers start their business as soon as the Dussehra festival concludes.

The wholesalers sitting outside the shops at the entrance of Kumbharwada showcase different varieties of diyas to their customers. They make sure that their customers' needs are fulfilled.

Bylane of Kumbharwada. Pic/Anagha Sawant

Another seller, 52-year-old Vinod Tank, who has been running his father's business, said, "More people are coming to buy this year. Surely, it is a pandemic effect. Last two years hardly anybody visited to buy the diyas. This year, we sold out our stock a week in advance. I sold out more than 30,000 diyas till last week. We had to prepare a new stock as the demand is higher."

Speaking about the variety in demand, Tank further added, "Small and medium-size diyas are more in demand as they are pocket-friendly and can be taken in bulk in one packet. The fancy diyas are in demand too but it depends on the choice of an individual."