KOLKATA: The small, one- or two-storey chariots made of plywood, scrap-wood and colourful papers, which are sold at every street corner ahead of Rath Yatra, could hardly be found anywhere in the city a day before the festival this time.
Usually, on Rath Yatra, kids in almost every neighbourhood are seen pulling the small chariots, accompanied by their grandparents or parents. But this time, retailers have apparently bought only a handful of the chariots from artisans, fearing low sale as parents would not allow the children to go outside amid the pandemic.
Manufacturers at Beliaghata and Kumartuli rued poor business.
New Ballygunge Road residents Suvajit Dutt and Puja Sengupta drove from Kasba to Rasbehari Avenue and Tollygunge to Hazra, in search of a small rath for their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, hoping she would be able to celebrate the festival on their terrace and video-call her friends from school. But the couple failed to spot a single seller. “I will try again on Sunday,” said Sengupta.
At Janbazar, 40-year-old Goutam Pramanik was spotted on the road with two small chariots, waiting for buyers. “The business is at an all-time low. Till 2019, I sold 250-350 chariots over three-four days. This year I haven’t been able to sell even 20 and still have two left,” said Pramanik.
Beliaghata Canal East Road is home to some 35 families that manufacture chariots. They said they made one-fifth the number of chariots they had made in 2019. “Retailers, who bought 150 to 500 chariots from us, are buying 30-50 chariots. Higher-priced, two- and three-storey chariots are even lower in demand,” said Bablu Pal, an artisan.
