Noida: Diwali is long gone, but diyas are flying off the selves in Noida and Ghaziabad again. This time, many households, condominiums and temples in the twin NCR cities are planning to light diyas to mark the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22. And it’s not just diyas alone.
Traders TOI spoke to said there was a sudden rise in demand for models of Ayodhya’s Ram darbar and temple.Miniature idols of Ram and gold framed photos of the temple have been selling like hot cakes as well.
But traders admitted they were selling leftover diyas from Diwali as the current chilly weather was not conducive for making them.
Sonu (32), a potter in Noida’s Sector 22, is hoping to sell the 8,000 extra diyas he had made during Diwali last year.
Wholesalers in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri have been “making hay” even though the sun is not shining — leading bulk sales exclusively in diyas.
One of them is Ravi Kumar Prajapati, who procures his diyas from artisans in Rajasthan. Prajapati, who has received bulk orders from retailers in Noida and Ghaziabad, has been dispatching leftover stock as well.
“I supplied diyas to various households in Delhi. But now, I have started getting orders from Noida and Ghaziabad too. The other day, I sent around 20,000 diyas to retailers across several Noida sectors and Vasundhara, Indirapuram and Vaishali in Ghaziabad. One shop owner has asked for 50,000 diyas that he plans to sell in his area,” Prajapati said.
Om Prakash Gupta, an RSS functionary and resident of Cleo County in Sector 121, has bought 10,000 diyas from Prajapati. On January 22, he plans to light up the entire society and the temple in the compound with them. “The entire society will light up that day, just like Diwali. Plus, there will be recitations of Sunderkand through the day and live telecast of the consecration from Ayodhya on a giant screen. Several cultural events are also being planned,” Gupta said.
Pawan Goel, the RWA president of Sector 48’s B, C and D blocks, is stocking up some 5,000 diyas for the day. Around 3,500 of these will be distributed in various households. The remaining will be lit up at the Holika Chowk and Shri Krishna Maa Jalpa gaushala near the Shani temple around Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
The mood is upbeat in Ghaziabad as well, though a little subdued compared to that in Noida. Unlike Sonu and Prajapati, potters in Jatwara haven’t received bulk orders, though requests have trickled in from here and there.
The excitement is not limited to diyas and idols alone. Traders in the bullion market, meanwhile, claimed that sales of gold or gold-plated photo frames and replicas of the Ram temple and darbar had picked up considerably. “These can cost anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 2.5 lakh. Plus, there is a high demand for silver coins, idols, Ramnami patka and replicas of the Ayodhya temple,” said SK Jain, president of the Sector 18 market association and general secretary of the Noida Jewellers Welfare Association. Raj Kishore Gupta, who heads the association in Ghaziabad, agreed there had been an increase in demand for gold miniature idols of Lord Ram and replicas.
Traders TOI spoke to said there was a sudden rise in demand for models of Ayodhya’s Ram darbar and temple.Miniature idols of Ram and gold framed photos of the temple have been selling like hot cakes as well.
But traders admitted they were selling leftover diyas from Diwali as the current chilly weather was not conducive for making them.
Sonu (32), a potter in Noida’s Sector 22, is hoping to sell the 8,000 extra diyas he had made during Diwali last year.
Wholesalers in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri have been “making hay” even though the sun is not shining — leading bulk sales exclusively in diyas.
One of them is Ravi Kumar Prajapati, who procures his diyas from artisans in Rajasthan. Prajapati, who has received bulk orders from retailers in Noida and Ghaziabad, has been dispatching leftover stock as well.
“I supplied diyas to various households in Delhi. But now, I have started getting orders from Noida and Ghaziabad too. The other day, I sent around 20,000 diyas to retailers across several Noida sectors and Vasundhara, Indirapuram and Vaishali in Ghaziabad. One shop owner has asked for 50,000 diyas that he plans to sell in his area,” Prajapati said.
Om Prakash Gupta, an RSS functionary and resident of Cleo County in Sector 121, has bought 10,000 diyas from Prajapati. On January 22, he plans to light up the entire society and the temple in the compound with them. “The entire society will light up that day, just like Diwali. Plus, there will be recitations of Sunderkand through the day and live telecast of the consecration from Ayodhya on a giant screen. Several cultural events are also being planned,” Gupta said.
Pawan Goel, the RWA president of Sector 48’s B, C and D blocks, is stocking up some 5,000 diyas for the day. Around 3,500 of these will be distributed in various households. The remaining will be lit up at the Holika Chowk and Shri Krishna Maa Jalpa gaushala near the Shani temple around Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
The mood is upbeat in Ghaziabad as well, though a little subdued compared to that in Noida. Unlike Sonu and Prajapati, potters in Jatwara haven’t received bulk orders, though requests have trickled in from here and there.
The excitement is not limited to diyas and idols alone. Traders in the bullion market, meanwhile, claimed that sales of gold or gold-plated photo frames and replicas of the Ram temple and darbar had picked up considerably. “These can cost anything between Rs 10,000 and Rs 2.5 lakh. Plus, there is a high demand for silver coins, idols, Ramnami patka and replicas of the Ayodhya temple,” said SK Jain, president of the Sector 18 market association and general secretary of the Noida Jewellers Welfare Association. Raj Kishore Gupta, who heads the association in Ghaziabad, agreed there had been an increase in demand for gold miniature idols of Lord Ram and replicas.