However, the festive excitement for the makers of these effigies is ebbing. According to these craftsmen, though the demand has increased, their profit margin has reduced.
Also, this year the demand from foreign countries has taken a hit.‘I started making Ravan when I
was 16 years old. But now I have stopped making it. It requires tremendous hard work and even after that there is no profit in it. One has to pay to police officials, metro officials and then bear the burden of high cost of raw material for making these effigies. And, if all the effigies are not sold then we have to burn them as there is no place to keep them,’ said a Ravan maker who is now runs a band business in Tagore Garden.
Reminiscing about times when business was good, he said, ‘In 2012, the effigies were exported to the US and other foreign countries. But since the last two years, there has been no demand.’ Echoing similar sentiments, Mahendra Pal, another effigy maker in the business since the past 30 year said, ‘Last year, I exported 10 Ravans to England, three to New York and three to Canda. But this year, there is no demand from foreign countries.’
The price of an effigy of Ravana has increased this year from Rs 200-250 per foot to 300 per foot. Earlier, where a single 40 feet Ravana manufacturing cost was about Rs 2,000-3,000, it now comes to about Rs 5,000.
Also, this year the demand from foreign countries has taken a hit.‘I started making Ravan when I
was 16 years old. But now I have stopped making it. It requires tremendous hard work and even after that there is no profit in it. One has to pay to police officials, metro officials and then bear the burden of high cost of raw material for making these effigies. And, if all the effigies are not sold then we have to burn them as there is no place to keep them,’ said a Ravan maker who is now runs a band business in Tagore Garden.
Reminiscing about times when business was good, he said, ‘In 2012, the effigies were exported to the US and other foreign countries. But since the last two years, there has been no demand.’ Echoing similar sentiments, Mahendra Pal, another effigy maker in the business since the past 30 year said, ‘Last year, I exported 10 Ravans to England, three to New York and three to Canda. But this year, there is no demand from foreign countries.’
The price of an effigy of Ravana has increased this year from Rs 200-250 per foot to 300 per foot. Earlier, where a single 40 feet Ravana manufacturing cost was about Rs 2,000-3,000, it now comes to about Rs 5,000.