Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to light the first lamp at the Ram Ki Paidi Ghat on the Saryu banks as the chief guest at the sixth edition of Deepotsav, or festival of lamps which has been celebrated the day before Diwali since 2017 in Ayodhya, on Sunday.
Around 18,000 volunteers will start laying 1.7 million earthen lamps from Friday. Dresses in a white t-shirt with a Deepotsav logo and a cap, the volunteers will work 18 hours daily in shifts for the next three days.
Ajay Pratap Singh, the nodal officer for Deepotsav, said on Saturday, the volunteers will begin filling the lamps with oil. The lamps have been sourced from Ayodhya’s Jaisinghpur, Gonda, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, Bahraich, Ambedkar Nagar, and Shravasti.
Jagat Prajapati, a Jaisinghpur resident, said the Deepotsav has given new lease of life to the dying art of pottery. “After the government’s promotion, people have also started preferring them,” said Prajapati, whose family has been working overtime to make the lamps ordered for the festival.
Pradeep Prajapati, another potter, said the demand for earthen lamps and other products has gone up since the government started Deepotsav. “Our lives have improvement...now our children are studying in private schools.”
{{/usCountry}}Pradeep Prajapati, another potter, said the demand for earthen lamps and other products has gone up since the government started Deepotsav. “Our lives have improvement...now our children are studying in private schools.”
{{/usCountry}}