Let there be light: LED lights on sale in a shop in Patna for Diwali. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, Oct. 11: This Diwali, artificial lights are set to replace traditional illuminations in most houses in the state capital. With barely a fortnight to go for the festival, the shops selling Chinese lights are filled with customers.

Designer diyas, Chinese bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) lights have flooded the markets with many people preferring them over the traditional earthen lamps.

Putting earthen lamps outside the house has been an inseparable part of Diwali celebrations but a large number of people are now taking to multi-coloured LED lights and Chinese bulbs only for the reason that they are easier to put up and are brighter than traditional diyas.

“What makes Chinese bulbs a preferred choice is that there is no need to bother about oil and wind. These LED lights and Chinese bulbs are better than the traditional diyas, which are also not that attractive as compared to the artificial lights,” said Avinash Singh, a 22-year-old college student. Avinash has already bought his favourite Chinese lights from the Chandni market in the state capital, which is the hub of electric shops.

“The multi-coloured Chinese bulbs, on the other hand, add zing to the festival. I like the traditional diyas but not that much. I have to buy some of them as my mother-in-law would never allow me to celebrate Diwali without earthen lamps. She is very strict when it comes to traditions. I will buy the LED bulbs as well as the traditional diyas. That way I can keep everyone happy,” said Anita Sinha (40), a resident at Chandni market.

The market is already wearing a festive look. The number of customers is going up every evening and most of the shops are dealing with more than one buyer at a time.

Talking about the range of artificial lights in his shop, M.D. Rafi, a wholeseller, told The Telegraph: “Net light, gel diyas, candle diyas are being sold but Chinese bulbs are high in demand this year. LED strips have been launched this time. The speciality of this range of Chinese bulbs is that it is 5m long and has many small LED bulbs. One LED strip costs Rs 500. Apart from these, LED jhalars are also a hit this year. You have to shell out Rs 90 for a 3ft-long jhalar. It comes in four different colours.”

Rafi said the buyers started coming to his shop just after Vishwakarma Puja.

“Even though these LED lights do not last long, they are still in demand. The buyers go for it because of its colours and strong reflection of lights which are not there in traditional diyas,” added Rafi.

Apart from Chinese bulbs and LED lights, designer diyas have also found a number of takers. A vast range of designer diyas and candles such as terracotta candles embellished with sequins and beads, wax candles, gel candles and floating candles have made their presence felt in the market.