Home-made, designer diyas bring Diwali glitter

LUCKNOW: Ahead of Diwali, many women in the city are employing the power of imagination and the internet to design and recycle diyas— the humble yet quintessential accessory of the festival of lights.
Nishatganj resident Richa Asthana says, “I love handicrafts and with help of internet videos, I make designer diyas using vibrant paints, aromatic candles and other easily available materials.”
Like Asthana, many women are transforming earthen diyas with not just paints but also colourful stones, broken glass, fabric and other things that would otherwise be wasted.Some are in fact doing it so well that they’ve turned their hobby into a small business.
Nandani Shah, a resident of Alamnagar says, “I started my home-based business of selling handmade decorative items. I usually use waste products like broken necklaces, dull old diyas, leftover candles and give them new look. This time, I used pearls of broken necklaces to decorate diyas.”
Another enthusiast-turned-businesswoman Rashmi Mishra says, “My diyas are made from waste material like thermocol, pulses, and old diyas. Terracotta diyas are a bit costlier than earthen diyas but are preferred by many because they stand out.”