NEW DELHI: Covid-19 could take the sheen off the Dussehra festival in the national capital. Artisans from Tagore Garden, Beriwala Bagh, Subhash Nagar and Chhatriwala Park ares of the national capital who make hundreds of Ravan effigies each season said that they have received just one order for an effigy, a month ahead of the festival.
Ram Navami and Dussehra will be celebrated next month on October 25. “The lone order for the effigy has come from Haryana’s Sampla town in Rohtak. Usually, we get about 3,000 orders every year from various parts of the country and abroad, but the pandemic has hit us hard,” said Mahendra, an artisan.
Apart from the national capital, the artisans earlier have also received orders from states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and others. Orders also come from a large number of overseas Indians in countires like the US, Indonesia, Africa, Sumatra, Malaysia and Australia.
“The unlock came as a breather for us. But the little hope vanished in the floods of Assam, a major market for bamboo sticks which are used to make Ravan’s effigies. Besides, the colourful papers used to embellish the effigies have become costlier, making our business even more challenging,” said Satpal, another artisan.
Effigies of Ravan, Kumbhakaran and Meghnad with heights ranging from five to 50 feet are made by the artisans from the national capital. The per-feet cost of an effigy is roughly around Rs 500. In the wake of a spike in corona cases in the national capital, all political, cultural and other gatherings, including public celebrations and religious gatherings have been banned in the city by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority till September 30.