BHOPAL: Designer wax diyas, made by the children of Parvarish – the Museum School, Bhopal, are in great demand not only from places across the country but also from abroad.
The colourful clay diyas are beautifully decorated with Warli (Maharashtra), Mandana (Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) and Madhubani (Bihar) tribal and folk art works. Some of the diyas have been decorated with floral motifs.
The children are working under the guidance of Shibani Ghosh, the director of the Museum School, providing quality education to underprivileged children through the Museums in the city for the past 15 years.
Ghosh said that they have chosen children who have a flair for painting and art works and those whose parents have lost their livelihoods due to the Covid pandemic. She says that the children have been making diyas for the past four years at the School during the festive season. However, this year, the School being closed, they are working from their homes. She is guiding the children through Zoom App and video calls to maintain social distancing.
Ghosh said that the response has been very encouraging. “I posted images of the diyas on the Facebook page of the Museum School and the same night I received a message from a gentleman from Florida (USA), who wanted us to ship 50 diyas to him. As for the country, we have received orders from Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and many other cities in India,” she said.
Shibani said that the Museum School is manufacturing the diyas under the brand name Artsy in collaboration with Zan India, a Bhopal-based startup.
Pooja Sharma, who had been associated with the School for the past 11 years, says, “We are very happy, proud and excited that our products are being appreciated by people not only from the county but also from abroad. We feel energised,” she says.
Pooja Sharma, who lives in Rahul Nagar, a slum cluster near MANIT, has, so far, made 300 diyas and earned a sum of Rs 4,000. “I have given the money to my parents. They will use it for household expenses,” she said.
“Shibani ma’am asked me to make the diyas. I was given a sample on the basis of which I made some pieces and decorated them with Madhubani paintings and floral designs under her guidance. She liked them very much,” she says.
Priya Yadav, who lives in Indra Nagar, Lalghati, says that ‘kulhads’ (clay cups used for drinking tea etc) are used for making the diyas. She first paints the Kulhads and then makes Mandhana and Warli paintings on their outer surface. After this she pours molten wax into the kulhads and fixes a wick on the wax once it has cooled down. The diyas are now ready. She says that she is able to make about 50 diyas in three days. Priya, who has earned about Rs 2,000 so far, says that the raw material is provided by the organisation.
