Diwali has put denizens of Sangam city on a shopping spree for a variety of 'jhaalar' (colourful light series) and earthen lamps to fill their homes with a faint but beautiful golden light.

From LED to rice bulb, rope light and artificial lamps, there is everything to suit the pocket of the Allahabadi reveler. But rising prices have hit even the wholesale market this year.

 “The common man can light a bulb only if PM provides relief," said Shailesh Thakur, a businessmen of Shahganj market of the city. Everything, from the rates of these decorative lights to the rate of power, has increased so it is easy to reason why there is fall in sale this year. Even in the wholesale market there is hike in prices of 10% compared to last year, he added.

China-made jhaalar has a copper wire and bulbs are good quality but last year they came with iron wire and comparatively poor quality. This year the quality has degraded further to keep the cost constant, said Gopal, a shopkeeper of the city. In contrast, products manufactured in Mumbai and Delhi are far better and not that costly either, he added.

Due to increased demand for these lights, local shopkeepers are doing brisk business and the jhaalar which cost Rs 30 a packet last year, is now selling at Rs 45. Similarly, each bundle of pipe-light (of 26 meter in length) is at Rs 800 compared to Rs 1,000 last year but the length was 40 meters. "I would suggest people to make best of their efforts and bargain the prizes", said Nafees, a shopkeeper of Shahganj market.

People are very much enthusiastic about these lights as they say that these lights are economical and don't consume much electricity besides they look beautiful in the house, said Aatish Kersherwani, a resident of Preetam Nagar. Apart from rope light and other LED lights, a new LED strips, operated by just 12 watt DC supply, is the new hit this year, added Aatish. Likewise, plastic lamps too are a big hit this year as it gives a clear impression of lighting of traditional earthen lamp, he added. Besides this, Akash Deep, lamps giving impression of brass lamps, Jhumar, LED lamps with numerous colour including blue, green pink, red and multi colour etc are all selling like hot cake, he added.

But since the sale of electronics goods has picked up, the traditional diyas, considered auspicious, has slumped. The festival of Diwali has undergone many changes over the years. Fancy alternatives to traditional 'diyas' have hampered the livelihood of several potters of the city.

"There were years when my entire family would get busy for months together to meet the demand of earthen lamps and other traditional earthen items for the festival of lights, but now the demand has decreased substantially as people are opting for designer and fancy lamps and cheap electric strings making a dent on our earnings", said a potter of Balughat locality of the city, Chhedilal who is in fourth generation of a family in the business of making diyas and clay idols.

"There is no doubt the festival has undergone radical changes with advancement in technology replacing items of decoration and illumination too, but show me one house where people do not light either candles or diyas because customs and traditions never change. There are still some who prefer earthen lamps to perform puja in a traditional way," said Prof R K Singh of Allahabad University.

Though traditional earthen lamps have not lost their significance entirely, people of Sangam city have found a novel way of adding to the festivity with decorative lamps and lights made in China. "Blame it on technology that has provided affordable alternatives to Indian shoppers in fancy candles and Chinese lights. Not only are these lamps available at cheaper rates in a wide variety, they are a profitable deal for the shopkeepers too", said Tulsidas, a shopkeeper.

According to traders, the main reason for the decline in the demand for earthen lamps during Diwali is the wide variety of Chinese electric lights, which are fancy, attractive and can be bought at reasonable prices in the Indian market.

"The method of lighting an earthen lamp is time-consuming and the rising prices of oil and ghee used in lighting them could be the reason for preferring artificial lights by most people," said Kiran, a housewife.

Meanwhile, as a part of the ongoing drive against adulterations in food products during the festive period, officials of Food and Drug Authority led by City magistrate(ACM) I and chief Food inspector(CFI) conducted raids at Khoya Mandi in Chowk locality on Saturday and took khoya samples from five khoya shops in the area.Besides around one quintal of adulterated and stale khoya was seized and desroyed by the raiding party.The samples collected from the spot would be sent to the state laboratory for examination after which necessary action would be taken.

Informing this CFI, Harimohan Srivastava said that the team also raided shops in Civil Lines area and took samples of chena sweets from a reputed shop from where 60 kg of chena was also seized and destroyed by the team. The team also inspected the workshop of a sweetmeat shop and issued a challan to the shop owner for unhygienic conditions prevailing inside the workshop.

At Meja tehsil in trans Yamuna area, the team was led by SDM, Meja where large quantity of adulterated sweets and khoya have been seized by the team. Similarly raid was also conducted in Bamrauli area under the charge of SDM Sadar and spurious khoya and chena were seized, said Srivastava. He added that the drive would continue till Deepawali and warned shopowners to refrain from selling adulterated food items failing which they would face the music.

Source from timesofindia.indiatimes.com