With the growing uses of plastic and steel-made household items, traditional wood-made Theki businesses in Dadeldhura’s Amargadhi have been struggling to remain in business.
The people in the business of making Theki are on the verge of displacement, said Amargadhi locals.
Chunar Community of Aalital Rural Municipality – 5, Bhitrisen Balewa, who have been in the business for many generations, are increasingly ditching their occupation for modern ones.
“The business of Theki has suffered after cheap plastic and steel-made items started flooding the markets,” said Dani Chunara, a local.
He said that it was difficult to manage appropriate wood logs to make Theki. “Compounding the problem is the fact that it’s competitors are cheaper. This has posed a stark challenge for us to run our ancestral business.”
The market price of a small wooden Theki starts from Rs. 1000 to Rs. 2000 while that made of plastic starts from Rs. 300 to Rs. 500, said the locals.
The market of traditional Theki has gone down because consumers need to pay Rs. 8,000 for a big one, said Bhojraj Paneru, a local Theki trader.
“Quality of milk and curd at wooden Theki is better than other pots,” he said, adding, “So, real animal farmers demand for the traditional Theki despite being expensive compared with plastic wares.”
Source : TRN,
