People are getting ready to celebrate Diwali on November 4th and ahead of it, Tollywood beauties came with a powerful message. Speaking to scribes they asked all to ditch LEDs and light diyas.
Pragya Jaiswal says “Diwali is incomplete without diyas. I believe everyone should light up their houses with handmade diyas this year instead of LED lights. This way we don’t just end up supporting local potters, we also follow a tradition that has been around for years. Be vocal for local, go to that local potter and pick up diyas that they made so lovingly. I’m sure it will make their festival and yours much brighter.”
Adah Sharma says ‘”The pandemic has been difficult for local artisans; their lives have come to a halt. There have been no melas and sales during COVID-19 for these potters who depend on the festive season to make money and feed their families. I personally like decorating my house with traditional diyas made from clay and mud, because they lend an authentic feel to the festival. With the world slowly inching back towards normal, let’s do our bit to help potters earn their wages and get back to normalcy too.”
Digangana Suryvanshi says ‘I’ve always believed in the power of lighting a diya during Diwali. No matter what the new trend is, the joy and comfort in decorating the house with diyas is unparalleled. For me, the festival is all about decorating my house with rangolis and diyas and connecting with family and friends over sweets. Modernisation is good but Diwali does not feel the same with artificial lights, no matter how good they are. Be it for spiritual reasons or to support local businesses, it’s always better to invest in diyas.’
Shradda Das says ‘Festivals are that time of the year where we get to celebrate our culture and traditions. I make it a point to purchase exclusively Indian-made goods over imported stuff for decorations and other festivities. Now that things are slowly going back to normal, we must try to purchase diyas from street vendors and encourage them. Diwali is a beautiful festival, so let’s celebrate it by filling our day with light, good food and lots of love.’
Malavika Mohanan adds “As a child, I loved to play with crackers. However, as I grew older, I found out about how the industry encourages child labour and the damage it causes to the environment. Since then, my way of celebrating the festival is by buying diyas from local artisans and decorating my home with it. We live in a much more aware world than what I grew up in, so we need to make more of an effort to be sustainable. Artisans have faced the brunt of the pandemic; the only way we can support their livelihood is by buying from them this season.”