As early as 8.30 am yesterday people were spotted buying deyas, oil and wicks for tomorrow's celebration of the Festival of Lights-Divali. Dozens of deyas were stacked in piles while clumps of wicks hung from strings in pitched tents along the roadside in Edinburgh, Chaguanas. The area is considered the home of deya-making and other pottery. Kegs of oil, priced at $290; deyas going for $7 a dozen in some locations and $8 a dozen at others; beautifully decorated khalsas and large deyas with intricate designs were all on sale at the front of every other house or business place.
Hindus and many non-Hindus will light thousands of deyas tomorrow to signify light over darkness.
Divali marks Lord Ram's return to the city of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile. Hindus also clean their homes to welcome the goddess Mother Laskhmi. At Radika's Pottery Shop in Edinburgh, Southern Main Road, potters Deonarine "Catch" Ramsaran and Amrit Singh already were muddied and had moulded hundreds of deyas waiting to be baked in the kiln. They stood before the potter's wheel using their magic hands to work the clay into shape. They made it look so easy.
A young boy named Brian was there to assist. Andy Benny, who spoke in an interview yesterday, said deya-making was from his mother Radika's lineage. She died in 2007. Her father was Tiklal Seecharan who had inherited the business from his father, Seecharan. Seecharan and his brother, Goolcharan, introduced pottery in the 19th century when they came to Trinidad as indentured labourers. Today potters can be found in Chase Village, Edinburgh and Carlsen Field. Benny said preparations for Divali started in June and yesterday was the last day for making deyas. He said his family's business was perhaps the only one in Trinidad where skilled men were making deyas and not using a machine. Benny said acquiring clay or "sapatay" from Carlsen Field was the first task and sourcing workers was next.
"Clay and workers are becoming scarce," Benny said. When the clay is brought in, Benny said it goes through a pugmill which kneads it and gives it texture and form. The clay comes out the pugmill looking like small logs. He said long ago people used "to dance the clay" which is similar to "dancing the cocoa." After the potters form the deyas they are left to dry and then placed in the kiln which Benny said can hold up to 13,000. After baking for six hours, the final product is an orange-red deya which is left to cool and then put for sale. Benny said: "We sell them $8 a dozen because of the size. "We don't make them too small and we don't compromise on the clay." The shop produces up to 5,000 deyas a day.
