Delhi's effigy market: All's not well in the land of Ravana

The effigies are getting ready for the big day, ready to be shipped to all corners of the Delhi-NCR region, and Ravana heads line up in a queue, but the festive excitement is missing this Dussehra.

Crammed, dimly lit and far away from the main road, the effigy market in west Delhi's Subhash Nagar was relocated from the bustling Titarpur village near the Tagore Garden Metro station in 2018. But business and life have taken a battering with no amenities being provided, say the artisans.

Believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Asia, the Titarpur market would be its busiest a few days before Dussehra, with massive Ravana heads lined up on the road. Now, the effigy makers occupy what are essentially two unkempt grounds, with only tall grass in the name of a workplace.

There's no water, no electricity and no sanitation facilities either, said the artisans, who leave their round-the-year low-paying jobs ahead of the festive season to make some extra cash by making and selling ...