Hyderabad: Candlemakers here are at their wits end to meet the expected surge in demand in Telangana following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to light candles, diyas or switch on mobile phone torches on Sunday evening, saying they would be hard-pressed to cater to it due to the ongoing lockdown.
M Sujatha, promoter of Lucky Candle India, which specialises in making decorative and event-based candles, started getting calls from customers after the Prime Ministers speech on Friday morning.
Modi urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.
Telangana has been under lockdown since March 22.
"There were no enquirers for candles during the past fortnight due to the lockdown. We started getting calls for candles after the PMs speech today. We expect more calls tomorrow and the day after. However, we are not sure whether we will be able to meet the demand as production was suspended due to the lockdown. Even to sell the existing stock we would request our customers to go for options like a mobile torch or an oil lamp for Sunday to avoid any mass gathering or movement of people on the roads just to pick up the candles," Sujatha told.
She further said that traditional candle makers are shifting their focus to specialised products such as event or decorative specific candles, as there have been no power cuts in Telangana during the past three or four years.