Designer clay lamps, artificial flowers to add glitter to Diwali

JAMNAGAR, Nov 3 (Agencies): Ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, artisans here are having a busy time making designer earthen lamps and artificial flowers so that each one stands out distinctively from the other.

Although, conventional simple lamps are still in demand, customers prefer new designs these days.

"The demand for the designer earthern lamps is on the rise, since the past 2-3 years.

Though we make the conventional clay lamps too, customers these days prefer the designer ones.

We make around 50-60 designs on an average.

We start two months in advance," said Jayantibhai Vadolia, an artisan.

The artisans and potters in the city say they started work almost three months ago and have already got a great demand for their products.

The artisans say the customers' choice has undergone a considerable change during the last few years.

Since everyone wants to display something innovative, these potters have given a free run to their creativity.

Tradition has it that earthen lamps are lit on Diwali marking the return of Lord Rama to his home in Ayodhya after a 14-year exile.

The earthen lamps also signify triumph of good over evil.

Available in different designs, the price of earthen lamps range between Rs.5 to Rs.250, depending upon the size and style of the earthen lamp.

People buy these lamps not only to decorate their homes but also make a show of them during the festival season.

Traders and others worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha for prosperity and success.

Flowers also form an integral part of any celebration in the country.

It is customary to offer flowers along with prayers to Gods and Goddesses.

Modernity has crept into every aspect of festive celebrations of late.

And the scent of flowers seems to have given way to artificial, but beautiful flowers.

"We make plastic flowers.

They are artificial but are used extensively by people these days and are much in demand.

These days the real flowers are used only during religious occasions and for decorative purposes, the plastic flowers are used," said Majidbhai, an artificial flower shop owner.

Traders maintain that people these days have restricted the use of fresh and real flowers to only religious occasions, owing to skyrocketing prices.

Did the cops die or not? Chhattisgarh not sure RAIPUR, Nov 3 (Agencies): A day after it was announced that Maoist guerrillas had massacred at least 15 policemen, authorities in Chhattisgarh said Saturday that they were not sure if so many had indeed been killed.

Officials said here that while they had despatched police forces to the remote area in Bijapur district, they felt that some of those believed killed might be alive.

A 120-member police team and a 26-seater helicopter have taken off from Bijapur town to travel at least 350 km to reach the attack site, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Pamed police station.

'Pamed is close to the Andhra Pradesh border and not many people live there.

It's a hilly area with a massive forest cap, I have no information at all what the situation is now,' Director General of Police Vishwaranjan Shrivastav told IANS.

'Our forces are on the way.' Bastar Inspector General R.K.

Vij added: 'The attack site comes in a Maoist dominated area.

Till Friday night there was information that 15 policemen had been killed.

But fresh inputs suggest that some are probably safe.

'We have no information at all about what happened Friday, things will become clear only when the reinforcements come back.

'There are different reports about the nature of the Maoist attack and the number of casualties.' Officials at the Raipur police headquarters including Inspector General Girdhari Nayak and the Bijapur district police authorities had announced the death of the 15 colleagues Friday.

Now the police say they are not sure what really happened.

'Pamed and adjoining areas have been ruled by Maoists for about a decade, the police never dare to visit there,' a police inspector told IANS here on the condition of anonymity.

The area has no telephones.

Even the police station cannot be reached by telephone.

The officer added: 'In Pamed region, rebels attack at will and at any time.

The topography is also suitable to the Maoists, who have hideouts in the hills.' In 2007 alone, at least 235 people have been killed in Maoist violence.

The toll includes 105 policemen.

A total of 55 cops were butchered in March this year in Bijapur district.

That was the single worst massacre of policemen at the hands of Maoists since the Maoist movement got underway in India in 1967.