In the heart of Varanasi and along side the Ganga, faith lives not just in temples but in the hands of those who quietly keep its traditions alive. They are not the saints or the scholars of Kashi. They are its unseen artists like the diya makers, the bangle crafters, the garland sellers, etc. These are the people whose creations touch divinity yet whose names fade as their creations does.
While wondering at the ghats of Ganga waiting for the eveinging aarti to begin, I spoke to a few vendors. There I met Mr. Suresh, a 63 years old Diya Seller. As we spoke about his art I noticed his rough and cracked fi gets that carried the memory of four generations of working with clay and mud.
Our family lives in the outskirts of Bihar,” he said. “My brothers sell them there and I come to Kashi before every festival.”
Upon asking about his family he stated,
I only have a son. He studies in Class 8. He wants to be an engineer. Maybe he will not sell diyas like me, and that’s a good thing.”
When asked if plastic or artificial diyas hurt his business, he said,
These things happen in big cities. But Kashi is still Kashi. People here know that prayers are meant for the pure. They still use clay and not plastic.”
A few steps away, a local bangle seller.
I make laakh (a resin that gives traditional bangles their glow) bangles by hand,” he said. “But the crowd goes to big shops now. The same bangles there cost more, but people think the shop makes it better.”
Upon investigatinghow the business was, he looked disheartened.
When the roads get crowded, the municipal people chase us away. We can’t even sell what we make.”
By the steps that lead to the Ganga, sat Mrs. Bijuriya Devi with her handmade garlands of flowers.
Three generations of my family have done this. I have a daughter. She helps me in making these garlands. But I don’t want her to sell flowers all her life.” She continued, “I have taught her till post-graduation. I want her to have a life where festivals are not for others only. Maybe she will someday earn better than me. Festivities have no effect on us. The business is never good. It is difficult to make the ends meet.”
When asked how it feels that their creations are used in every puja but their names are forgotten, all three gave the same answer.
We don’t make for fame,we make for faith.”
Mrs. Bijuriya added,
Our work goes back to the Ganga. That is enough for us. But at least, if we could earn enough to eat peacefully, that would be good.”
Their humility is disarming. Their art is fragile, handmade, and pure as well as sustainable and eco-friendly. They represent one of the world’s oldest living traditions. Yet, they remain invisible in the very festivals their creations illuminate.
As the sun dips and lamps flicker on the ghats, one cannot ignore a deeper truth. The same diyas , bangles and flowers that is sole earring source for many, are being replaced. The flowers are now tied in synthetic threads that choke the waters and it’s creatures. In trying to modernise devotion, we’ve forgotten the soul of it.
The artisans of Kashi remind us that eco-friendly isn’t old fashioned but it’s tradition and livelihood. The clay diya returns to the earth it came from. The laakh bangle dissolves without trace. The flower, when offered, becomes part of nature again. Every handmade object are sustainable.
To protect our water bodies, we shall protect the sustainable art and artists too. To honor our festivals, we must honor the hands that make them possible. The unseen craftspeople of Kashi don’t just create. They are the bridge between human, environment and devotion.
In order to gain a better understanding of the issue in hand, that is, why the Indian market is not buying Indian products, we started to investigate. A senior reporter of The Central Post, Mr. Aakash Chauhan, spoke to a trade analyst about the problem. He responded, “ If we look at the price difference ratio between the country made products and imported products we will understand what the actual problem is. The country made product will be cost ₹300 to ₹600 in a whole sale market, the same product if imported will cost around ₹100 to ₹150 for the same quantity, in the same market.” He stated that the issue is not in the buyers but in the fact that imported products do actually cost less. This indicates towards a poor import management by our country and its governance.
While Prime Minister Modi’s Swadeshi Yojana promotes self-reliance by encouraging Indians to use and produce local goods. This fact comes as a contradiction to what actually is happening.
The import policies need a review an revision process in order to get rid of this corporate trap where local Indian artists are a victim. This issue poses a thread to the actual culture by giving a treat to the corporate and capitalist mindset.
All we need to do is ask the right questions and we will be lead right at the face of the problem. To the reader, we have to say that the next time you light a diya, wear a bangle or offer a garland, pause and reflect. Somewhere in a small hut there’s a pair of hands that made that moment of beauty possible. These hands never seek the light. Yet they give it to the world. Buy sustainable and eco-friendly items for tradition as well as the people who make it possible.
Also Read | Chhath Puja: The Festival Where Nature Is Worshipped
