Boom time for ‘dhar’ traders during Pitrapaksha

Varanasi: The trade of ‘dhar’ (articles used in performing religious rituals and rites during Pitrapaksha) is booming.
Due to it being a tax-free trade, assessing the volume of turnover of ‘dhar’ is impossible. A major share of profit also goes in the pocket of Muslim artisans, who have the monopoly in manufacturing articles like chunari (printed saris and cloth pieces offered to deities), raksha sutra (coloured threads tied on wrist), janeu (thread for men) and rui-batti (cotton rolls for earthen lamps).
Pitrapaksha is a period of fortnight in which devotees perform rites for the peace of soul of their ancestors and lost family members. Initiating new ventures and major buying are avoided. “Traders in other businesses may find Pitrapaksha as off season for trade. But we wait for it eagerly,” said Rahul for whom it was difficult to spare time to talk to other issues due to pressure of booking orders at his shop in Gola Dinanath Mandi.
The wholesale trade of dhar is mainly done in one of the serpentine lanes of Gola Dinanath Mandi, which is also known as one of the biggest markets of spices, herbs, colours and chemicals used in food and colouring clothes in northern India. Another trader Shiv Prasad said: “For us, Pitrapaksha, followed by Shardiya Navratra is eagerly awaited period every year as 80% of annual business is done during this time.”
The number of dhar wholesalers, who are also known as Dharwale, is 15 in Gola Dinanath Mandi while a few traders also operate from Kachauri Gali Market. The Dhar traders consider that keeping all the articles used in religious rites and rituals at a shop is impossible as they are above 1,000 in numbers. A trader at Gola Dinanath said: “We try our best to ensure that if a retailer reaches a shop all his demand is fulfilled at one counter.”
Being the city of moksha (salvation) there is a huge consumption of ‘dhar’ articles in Varanasi. But, the dhar market of Gola Dinanath also caters the demands of retailers of east UP districts, parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and also Nepal. “Even traders from Ujjain and Mumbai depend on us articles like ‘bhasmi’ and ‘gundhi’ as it is manufactured only here,” said Shiv Prasad.
The products made available at these Dhar shops come from cottage industries. “We procure most of the articles from manufacturers but some articles like ‘havan samagri’ are also prepared by our own employees,” said the traders, who consider their market as an ideal example of communal harmony. Shiv Prasad said: “If we depend on Muslim artisans for many articles, they also depend on us for the products like `loban’, which is used in mosques.”