Diwali 2018: Diyas return as centre of attraction on Deepavali as sale of firecrackers goes down

With the influence of electric lights and wax candles dominating the festive market for a couple of years, traditional earthen lamps, or ‘diyas’ are reclaiming their place ahead of Diwali. Potters are busy preparing diyas and have been preparing for over two months, as Diwali approaches. The demand had been steadily decreasing over the years with the availability of cheap and more colourfully decorative LED lights in the markets. But this year, people are choosing indigenous earthen lamps over LED lights, owing largely to social media campaigns highlighting the plights of the temporary street vendors.