Given time everything changes. The interpretation of themes can change with time. In Goa, one of the hallmarks of the festival season of Diwali is the installation of the demon, Narkasura. He is burnt on the eve of Diwali to mark the victory of good over evil. This tradition is known as Narka Chaturdashi, which marks the beginning of Diwali. This used to be the occasion for the young members of the community to come together and make a Narkasur. It would take a week or more to collect everyone and work on the Narkasur. Work would usually take place at night when everyone returns home. It is a time to let their creative imagination run wild. Every locality seems to have a Narkasur.
There are competitions held to select the best designed Narkasur. Nowadays, there is an interesting trend gathering strength. People are now buying a Narkasur made in a shop. It is a readymade model. It is a trend that is gradually growing in strength as the years go by. One of the men behind this trend is Girish Pinge, who operates out of his outlet in the Panjim market. His family has been in the business of making decorative items used in festivals and other occasions. Girish is a member of the second generation taking forward the business.
Girish says, “The trend of making Narkasurs started ten years back. It started with people asking for ready-made ones and we used to only do the masks and the gloves and everything else but people kept asking for the entire Narkasur. My dad used to get orders he used to do but only two pieces. He thought it would be good for the customers and he started.”
Each Narkasur cost depends on the size, starting at Rs 500 and goes up to Rs 3500. The material used is all paper which is biodegradable. Nothing of plastic is used. It is all paper and no fibre is used. When asked how many he sold, Girish says, “These days the youngsters make the face and the rest is provided by us. We sometimes make up to 13 complete pieces and it can go up to 50 too. There is competition but our USP is the finishing, the painting, the eyes, everything. We try to do something new. We have been doing this for a few years now and it is a very tedious job. We start just after Ganesh Chaturthi. It is a family business. We make the mask with hand gloves. Everything is done by us. We used to get orders for masks separately. They place an order in advance according to the size and we make them. It is customised as in what colour they want. The colour that is popular now is grey or dark green or greenish colour. Earlier, there used to be only two colours one blue and one skin colour. Now times have changed and everyone is into different shapes. With social media now so important, colour is very important.”
Nikhil Ravane gets orders to make between 10 to 20 Narakasura every season. Depending on the size, the cost can be anywhere between Rs 1000 to 2000 depending on the size. “I make 10 and 20 feet high models at home, made from paper and fibre. The 10 feet tall models would cost around Rs 4000 and the 20 feet would be double that. Black, silver and green, even red, was very popular with his customers. To make a Narkasur takes a maximum of 20 days for me and my family,” says Nikhil, who has been in the business for 15 years.
It is quite obvious that there seems to be a growing trend of people looking to buy ready-made Narkasur. Perhaps it is a matter of convenience or time but this is a trend that is definitely growing.