Stitching dresses for Kanha is turning out to be a money spinner for small business houses across Mathura as demand for dresses of Lord Krishna from across India and abroad is expected to exceed Rs 500 crore business this year.
Owner of Agarwal Costume Industry, Jawahar Aggarwal, said that with the blessings of Lord Krishna this year the region was witnessing a booming business.
“We started stitching clothes sometimes in May and before Janmashtami we were able to complete all the orders. This Janmashtami has generated a business of more than Rs 500 crore,” he said.
The region has witnessed a revival in business this year after two years as supply of Kanha’s dresses and other paraphernalia had almost stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was practically no order from overseas in the last two years while the orders from across the country came down drastically. Thus, the people who were involved in making these dresses were forced to take up other works for survival.
“The experts in dress making are back now. With the state government extending support coupled with a congenial business atmosphere, Janmashtami has brought smiles on the faces of thousands of people involved in this business,” Someshwar Agarwal, a local trader, told this reporter.
He said probably Lord Krishna was the only Hindu God with whom people took the liberty to dress Him in modern attire. “That is why every year new costumes with dazzling colours and attractive patterns are introduced,” he added.
A few years back a local priest in a Vrindavan temple dressed Lord Krishna in jeans and T-shirt but changed it to traditional dhoti once people objected to it.
"We have moved a long way from the conventional ‘poshak’ (dress). Creative minds have now introduced an array of colourful costumes, studded with precious stones, exquisite embroidery and expensive 'gota' (embroidery using applique technique)," said Deepak Parikh, a shopkeeper of Mathura.
The business related to stitching dresses of Lord Krishna starts two months in advance. Mathura, in the past few years, has emerged as the country's main hub for ‘poshaks’ and related knick-knacks. About 20,000 artisans, both Hindus and Muslims, are engaged in producing the dresses and decorative items. While the Muslim workers specialise in embroidery, intricate needlework and zardozi (sewing with gold string), Hindus do the sewing and stitching of the dresses, weaving attractive patterns.
“They worked 10-12 hours a day to complete the orders,” Parikh said.
Besides, other people involved in this trade are raw material suppliers and the traders selling the end product.
“Orders have come from more than 18 countries, including Russia, Dubai, Canada, Poland, and America. The dresses are being couriered daily to dozens of foreign countries or Sri Krishna temples and individuals. Our demand is growing in foreign markets,” said BN Sharma, an office-bearer of the Traders' Association.
This year the dress which Thakurji will flaunt is `Pacharangi’ which is a five coloured dress adorned with pearls and stones. The cost of the dress varies from Rs 10 to Rs 5 lakh. “The prices are kept to suit everyone’s pocket,” Sharma said.