• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Shailesh Menon

LIGHTING THE WORLD

Mumbai , Oct. 9

Lanterns are making a fashion statement in the West. Fancy lanterns figure among Indian artefacts shipped to Australia, Europe and the US. The demand is higher than supply and manufacturing units (spread mostly in and around New Delhi and in parts of Uttar Pradesh) are finding it hard to stick to shipment schedules.

"Being in the unorganised sector, we will not be able to estimate the growth rate in real terms. But I can assure you this sector is growing steadily. Last year, we exported lanterns (fancy and antique) worth Rs 1 crore to the US and Europe," said Mr Ashish Agarwal, Managing Director, Exotic India, a Moradabad-based manufacturer and exporter of Indian artefacts.

What makes Indian lanterns so popular in the West? Mr Maqbool Hassan Waqafi, a Ghaziabad-based manufacturer, says: "Yahaan tho majboori hai hamen, raat ko laalten jalaana padtha hai. Phoren mein tho yeh sirf ek shauk hai (For us lanterns are a necessity; for foreigners, lanterns are a collectors' item)."

Decorative lanterns are used as showpieces, garden lamps and garden torches in the West. In the US, hotels organise `lantern light evenings' for their customers. Tour operators arrange `lantern light tours' and `lantern light boat rides'.

"In Germany, Spain and Australia, lanterns (with waxed wicks) are used to light crops grown in enclosures. Galvanised copper antique lanterns, terracotta lanterns and brass lanterns (mostly custom-made) are usually exported for displays. We sell them at an average price of $5 per piece. The US retailer sells the same at around $200 per piece," said Mr Rajesh Sharma, Head - International Marketing, Ralson India Pvt Ltd. The company exports 15 lakh pieces every year.

Lanterns with waxed wicks are used in ships and also form a part of the camping and trekking gear.

More Stories on : Arts & Crafts | Lifestyle | Exports & Imports | SSI

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
N-E monsoon likely to set in by weekend

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line