Demand for diyas surges after PM’s ‘lights-out appeal’

TNN | Apr 6, 2020, 04:06 IST

People light candles during the lockdown in Prayagraj on Sunday

Prayagraj: Potters ruing the lack of sales because of the 21-day lockdown announced to check the spread of Covid-19 outbreak had a reason to cheer as residents rushed to buy diyas to join in PM Narendra’s Modi ‘lights-out call’ on Sunday night.
Residents living in Shivkuti, Rasoolabad, Kydganj, Chota Baghara, Teliyarganj , Rajapur and other areas managed to get earthen lamps as potter colonies are located just a stone’s throw away from their homes.
Kumar, a potter, said, “ I had an old stock of diyas. I was surprised to see several traders coming to my workshop to buy earthen lamps in the past two days.” Earlier this week, PM Narendra Modi urged Indian citizens to either light diyas and candles or switch on the torch lights of their mobile phones and switch off lights for nine minutes on Sunday 9pm to ‘dispel’ the darkness spread by novel coronavirus.
Residents thronged grocery shops in areas like Rajapur, Civil Lines, Teliyarganj, Katra, Chowk, Bahadurganj, Mutthiganj and adjoining pockets to purchase not just essential commodities, but candles and earthen lamps too.
“Since PM made the appeal, there has been a rise in demand for candles, diyas and torches. People started demanding these articles since Saturday morning and the requests only increased by Sunday evening,” said Nitin Mehrotra, who owns a grocery store in Rajapur.