Light My Fire

From designer lanterns to custom-made lights,the markets are full of options to deck up our homes.

Rows of buildings light up with colourful rice lights,bright lanterns dangle gently in the wind and flames of diyas flicker gently Diwali makes the city transform into a picture of beauty. The tradition of lighting up homes is a quintessential part of the festival that celebrates the gifts of health,wealth,knowledge,peace,valour and fame. It also signifies the destruction of all negativity,violence,lust,anger,envy,greed,fear,injustice,oppression and suffering. According to some traditions,light is considered a symbol of knowledge,and the festival is seen as a celebration of knowledge over ignorance,good over evil.

With lights being such an important aspect of the festival,shopkeepers in the city are offering a variety of diyas and lanterns to ensure that Puneites cam deck up their homes this season. From designer lanterns to custom-made lights,the markets are full with options. Low-voltage luminaries such as handcrafted lanterns,post lanterns,wall lanterns,hanging lanterns,landscape lanterns and chandeliers are among those that are selling the most. They are made of various materials including copper,wood and brass. This apart,the traditional earthen lamps and lanterns and those made of handmade paper are also being sought after.

Ajay Shinde,who sells earthen diyas and lanterns at Kumbharwada,says,I have been in the business for 25 years and sell only clay lanterns. The ones that we sell too are not made here but ordered specially from Kolkata. He adds that the demand is maximum during this season and,despite many new styles coming to the market,his products never go out of fashion.

The Handmade Paper Institute,Pune,is hosting an exhibition and sale of eco-friendly lanterns made at the institute till October 31. These were purely made using handmade paper. We have folding lanterns,star-shaped,oval,cylindrical and square lanterns, says Sneha Uniyal,who works with the institute. She adds that there is absolutely no dearth of designs to pick from. We have almost 500-600 designer lanterns in the range of Rs 60-1,000. Also there are 200-250 varieties of simple lanterns. Apart from them we have some lanterns that are about 4-5 feet long. These cost anything between Rs 3,000 to 5,000, says Uniyal,adding that businessmen and owners of big shops often buy these lanterns to display at their establishments.

Chandan Shirsat,who sells lights at Tulsibaugh,vouches that there is a new craze for paper lanterns this year. Last year,Chinese lanterns or lights that had Chinese motifs on them sold like hot cakes. This time though,almost everyone wants a paper lantern so we have stocked up accordingly. I also keep cane lanterns, he says. Among the special stock in his store are microne lanterns and woollen stitched lanterns,which cost between Rs 100 and Rs 600. We also sell a lot of diyas; they never go out of style no matter what new products are available, he adds.

Neha Basudkar

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