China is doing a roaring business in religious symbols, burying its ideological guru Karl Marx’s thesis that religion is the opium of the masses under the layers of modern economy of which China wants to be a world leader.
And the most interesting fact is that the biggest client of China in the business of religious symbol is India. China sells idols of various Indian gods and goddesses worth crores of rupees in this country.
There is a huge demand for such idols in India. Chinese firms are unable to meet the demand. One can have idols of Lord Krishna, Durga, Kali, Shiva and Ganesha, among others. The list is endless.
Inder Kumar Sethi of a gift place here, who buys these idols from Mumbai, says that containers full of the idols land at the port there. Within hours the entire stock is lifted by buyers.
“These idols are made of fibre and other materials and their overall look is attractive because of the excellent finish,” said Sethi. The price varies between Rs 300 and Rs 500.
In fact, the Indian small-scale industry engaged in the manufacture of idols of brass and marble has been hit hard. “Lookwise, these appear to be really pieces of art and that is why there is a great demand for these,” asserts Sethi.
Earlier, Moradabad, Meerut, Hyderabad and Jaipur used to be big centres for the manufacture of idols of gods and goddesses.
The Chinese, who are new to this business, have committed some mistakes. Informed sources say the Chinese manufacturers had goofed up by placing Ganesh on an elephant instead of a rat during a big festival in India. But this was rectified later.
