KARUR: The light is dying out of the lives of those who bring light to the lives of others. Dwindling market and influx of machine made lamps have put the livelihood of the traditional clay lamp (Agal Vilakku) makers in jeopardy. Handmade lamps used to be the most sought after items in every household till a few years ago. Not anymore.
As if the ban on lighting oil lamps in temples was not enough, unavailability of clay and rise in price wherever it is avaialble, arrival of moulded lamps have added to the woes of the lamp-makers. Currently, the lamp-makers are finding it extremely difficult to run their livelihood, especially when their sales have hit an all time low. Karthigai Deepam festival, earlier, was a happy event, when clay lamps sold like hot cakes. Every year, besides Deepavali, the Karthigai Deepam festival in Tamil Nadu is celebrated with lights. The temples used to be lit up with Agal Vilakku all over the State.
“Karthigai Deepam is like Pongal and Deepavali for us. The festival used to bring more joy for us,” said Muthusamy, a 63-year-old lamp maker in Pasupathipalayam. Muthusamy, who is a 6th generation clay lamp-maker, told TNIE, “The Agal Vilakku used to be the top priority in temples and houses. But the interest in the festival is slowly diminishing. The ban on lamps at temples is like adding fuel to the fire. Getting clay nowadays has become so difficult for us. We used to bring clay from Emur’s Seethapatty lake after a lot of struggle. On top of that, the price of one bullock-cart of sand is more than Rs 6000 per load,” he said.