THE ART DYNASTY

 Chapter 03

DIWALI AND DIYAS

India is a country of traditions and cultures. Each and every religion has it's own beliefs and traditions. People in our country follow these traditions wholeheartedly till now. Some traditional beliefs are from our ancestors and some are running over a long period of time. Along with traditions , India is also a country of festivals . Festivals are all over the year starting from January till December.

    India is sparkling in the joy of Diwali which is a festival of light. One such tradition that is followed till now from ancient times is lighting mud Diyas. Diwali remarks the return of Lord Rama , goddess Sita and Lord Laxman after the exile of 14 years. Although the tradition of lighting mud diyas has decreased due to use of Chinese lights and stuffs but still the remnants of traditions resides in hearts of Indians.

 Art has many forms. Sometimes it is just colors and sketches, sometimes it is making things that lasts forever. Today i am going to talk about the art of making earthen Diyas. The traditional pottery is one of the oldest crafts of India. Many families for generations have been making these clay Diya and pots. The task of making hundreds and thousands of diyas for Diwali is so beautiful. The beauty lies in observing the making of these diyas. Just how beautifully and magnificently a potter turns the clay into these small oil lamps has always fascinated me. The smell of fresh clay just opens up every pore of my body. My mother always tells me all those purani reets( old goings) and it always amazes me how fast time changes.

 

Once when  i went to village with my parents i saw a potter making earthen utensils. The way he shapes the clay to mould the clay the way he desires. I believe it's all art , the art of creating something so valuable from just lumps of clay. He pours his heart, body and mind all into creating those small yet valuable things. The amount of effort he puts into getting the clay ready first. He digs the soil then kneads it with water. He then uses a Potter's wheel to give shape to the clay. Art resides in everything. You just need to see the things the way they are and the beauty that resides behind those.

wishing all a happy Diwali! 

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