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On China Made Hindu Idols - Made in China Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Several newspapers during Diwali reported about the Chinese made idols of Hindu gods flooding the Indian market. This made in China idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are very popular. They have shine and glow but inside it is harmful chemicals including lead.

Hindustan Times reports
"The demand has grown exponentially since last year and people are finding it more attractive than the Indian-made idols," Sharad Goyal of Kriti Creations, a shop in south Delhi's Khan Market said. 
“The usual practice of Chinese manufacturers is to send an expert team to study the Indian market and understand the current trends, especially during the festive season. Armed with the knowledge, they produce in China in bulk what the Indians are looking for, with slight innovations and export them through various channels to this country with a cheaper price tag.”
The advantage of Chinese made idols – neat, shiny in appearance and cheap.

 Made in China Hindu Gods and Goddesses

The end result is communist China makes money by selling Hindu gods and the cottage industry of India suffers. As usual the government of India seems to be totally unaware of the Chinese dominance in Indian market. If China can produce Hindu idols and market it successfully in Indian market, why can’t the Indians do the same?

To be fair, there is no collective effort among Indian idol makers and neither are they ready to experiment. Indian idol makers lack flexibility and are not willing to change with time. Most of the cheap idols available by Indian artisans are below par when compared with the cheap Chinese idols.

It is true that many of the idol makers are poor and need government funds to buy new machinery needed for the change. Blaming the government is not going stop other countries entering Indian market.

What is needed is a collective effort from artisans. Artisans instead of working as single individuals should form cooperative societies and should involve young designers in the design making process.

Hope, during next Diwali it will be the Indian made idols that will be dominating the market.