Festivals knock: Is it the same for all?
“Indian Railways announces 179 pairs of special trains till Chhath Puja”. The news headline that can be seen everywhere this week. But why? Because a large flock of Biharis resides in almost every corner of the world. And on the auspicious occasion of Chatth Puja, they rush back to their state. There this visit is much awaited by them as well as their home state. The entire state glows up with lights, crackers, and festivity. The market is full of decorative items – handmade and artificially created.
These festivals knock are a reason for celebration for us. But! For some groups of people, it still is a “day at work”. From Dhanteras to the last day of Chhath, the streets of Patna are flooded with local artists. And their amazing decorative pieces. One can witness the happiness on their face when their hard-worked piece of art is sold at a price that they wanted to sell at.
Where these people come from?
Have you ever wondered where these stalls go on a regular day? I will tell you. These stalls and artists get involved in some other businesses throughout the year. They either sell vegetables, and fruits or get engaged in any other regular affair.
“साल भर दुकान लगाएंगे तो बस नुकसान होगा। महिने भर मे 8-10 लोग आते है जिस मे से आधे से ज्यादा तो बस दाम पूछ कर चले जाते है। कुछ लोग तो बदले मे इतना कम दाम बोलते है कि उतने मे हम कच्चा माल भी ना ला पाए।” (If we set up the shop throughout the year, there will be only losses. 8-10 people come in a month, out of which more than half leave just by asking for the price. Some people bargain too such a low extent that in return we could not even bring raw material.), said Sonu Kumar, an artist who makes lanterns and other decorative items from clay and mud.
The decorative items and hand-made crafts that you order through different e-websites or get from other cities can be available to you in your city, made by your local people. The only thing that we need to do is to help them grow by trusting, respecting, and paying them the rightful amount for their efforts and talent. If we all join hands together, we can promote the art and artists of our land.
