On the festival of lights, why not take a stand and say no to Chinese lights and make it a brighter Diwali for our local potters? Welcome Goddess Lakshmi with traditional earthen diyas and support local potters who work tirelessly with clay to give shape to innovative diyas that light up homes during Diwali.
For generations, Indian homes were lit up with diyas, or traditional earthen lamps, however, over the past few years, potters have been complaining that customers preferred cheaper electrical lighting or more pricey products in shopping malls. This is jeopardising their livelihood, spelling darkness for the traditional potter.
As the old order paves way for the new, local potters get a new lease of life where they can sell their diya creations on with an app built locally for the first time. Shivananda, a potter from Potter’s Colony in Bengaluru shares, “I’ve recently got my own Goodbox app which is very helpful. I’ve been on the app for the past three weeks, however within the last five days with Diwali around the corner, I’ve managed to get 20-30 customers through the app. Infact, we have even got a couple or orders from hotels as well. Being a third generation potter, I’ve finally managed to get an online presence.”
This Diwali, there’s hope for them, as they’re now able to sell online and compete with large players, as they can afford their own personalised DIY mini app. The potters are now selling online for the first time through this do it yourself app aiming to save our Indian tradition of lighting diyas in the day and age of domination by Chinese lights. Bengaluru-based Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder, Goodbox, a mobile app that allows consumers to buy from multiple businesses, states, “Many businesses like to get their own online presence and sell to their customers directly. Through this app solution, any business can get an app presence that is simple to use. A small struggling business can get a new life with the technology required to sell online. We want to give the traditional potters and small local businesses the support they need to be independent.”
Neera Sood, a fitness trainer, adds “I’m going earthen this Diwali to encourage the spirit of giving by buying diyas from local potters. I’m also adding my own unique touch by painting the diyas with unique designs and colours at home.”
Another young entrepreneur supporting the local potters is Radeesh Shetty, The Purple Turtles, who says, “We have always supported local crafts by working closely with artisans. We’re happy to see that more people are now getting conscious of buying locally made products over Chinese sourced ones, which is quite a welcome change.”
