Rain Ruins Ravana Effigies, Artisans Race to Salvage Festive Creations

Heavy rainfall in parts of North India has dampened Dussehra preparations, leaving artisans racing against time to salvage damaged Ravana effigies just a day before the festival. From Delhi’s Titarpur, known as Asia’s largest Ravana effigy market, to Jaipur’s busy Gopalpura bypass, rows of half-soaked, broken and discoloured figures stood as grim reminders of the sudden downpour that washed away weeks of painstaking work.

Effigy makers, many of whom wait all year for this short festive window to earn their livelihood, said the losses are devastating. Mahendra Pal, a 75-year-old artisan from Titarpur who has been in the trade for nearly five decades, said more than 10 of the 25 effigies he crafted remain unsold and badly damaged. “We worked day and night for over a month, but this rain has brought huge losses. Authorities should treat this as a disaster and help us,” Pal said, estimating damages worth lakhs of rupees. Most effigies, which sell for Rs 400–700 per foot, had been lined up on roads and were impossible to protect when the rain hit.

In Jaipur, the scene was no different. Gordhan, an artisan near Gurjar ki Thadi, said all of his family’s large effigies were ruined beyond repair. With just a day left, the focus has shifted to smaller figures stored under tents. “Some effigies can be repaired, but restoring them to marketable condition in time is nearly impossible,” he said.

Others like Baju, who borrowed Rs 1 lakh to prepare around 200 effigies this year, are unsure whether they will recover even their costs. For many daily wage artisans, the festive season is their only chance to earn extra income.

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As customers trickle into markets, some carefully inspect partially repaired figures while others bargain for better deals. Vendors, however, fear the festival will pass without profits. “I made over 51 effigies; only 22 were delivered. The rest are damaged. We’re working nonstop to repair them, but there’s very little we can do now. The festival is ruined for us,” said Ajay, a Titarpur effigy maker. For artisans who invested months of effort and borrowed money to keep traditions alive, this year’s Dussehra has turned into a season of uncertainty.

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