Lucknow effigy makers bear the brunt of heavy rain

Manufacturers lament the loss due to continuous downpour: large stock goes unsold, much of it gets damaged

On the eve of Dussehra, several shops in the Timber Market on Faizabad Road near the Polytechnic Crossing, said to be Lucknow’s largest timber market, had multiple effigies outside the shops but no buyers.

An effigy outside a shop in Faizullahganj area unsold and pouring in rain (HT Photo)

The constant downpour not only dampened the people’s festive spirit, but it also resulted in a huge loss for effigy sellers. This was the first time after the lockdowns and the markets opening up that manufacturers had received a huge demand but the last moment rain spoiled all plans.

Zubair Ansari, an effigy maker and a timber merchant, has had his shop for the last 25 years in the market and has incurred a loss of ₹1.50 lakh due to very few customers turning up at his shop. Out of 75 small and big effigies which he made, only 12 got sold. A majority of the effigies are sold at the last moment

Zubair had another shop in Gonda district where he had 154 effigies kept on sale but due to the rain not much was sold there too.

“The sticks used can be reused for other purposes but the labour costs can’t be recovered. A 13-foot effigy costs anywhere between ₹1,500 and 1,600. The cost increases as per the size, design and the number of sticks used. Generally, the smaller sizes for societies and individuals are in demand but due to rains, I could not sell even a single effigy,” said another seller, Mubin (who goes by his first name), in the same market.

Ganesh Prasad Ravan Wale of Chowk had received three large orders from Mahanagar Ramlila, Hind Nagar, and Ansal City, each with an effigy size of 50-55 feet and a cost of around ₹22,000. “Because of their large size, we could not get the effigies into the shelter in time when it began raining. The rain destroyed the paper used in the effigy. We have to bear the cost as the organisers are reluctant to pay more,” said Ganesh Prasad.

Mubarak Ali, another effigy-maker, in Faizullaganj, on Sitapur Road, had to return the advance payments of organisers at the last moment keeping only a portion of it as they decided not to celebrate Dussehra due to the rain. “I could sell only two medium sized effigies out of 25 effigies which took me over a month to work upon. Explaining the reason why the effigies were not sold earlier, Mubarak Ali said, “As the effigies are big, people pick them up right at the very end.”