Khotang, October 17

With the beginning of Tihar, most of the people involved in madal making are seen busy round the clock. During Tihar, demand for madal increases and gives madal-makers a good opportunity to earn money.

Prem Bahadur Nepali from Halesi Tuwachung Municipality, Khotang, is a madal-maker. Of late, many people come to his house to repair their madals.

Prem Bahadur has been mending madals for last three weeks. He said he would earn around Rs 20,000 during Tihar. “I don’t even have time to eat nowadays as people need their madals to play deusi-bhailo,” he said.

Another madal-maker Buddhi Man Nepali of the same municipality is also busy mending madals.

He said he did not even have time to talk to his relatives who came to visit him. “We generate good income during Tihar,” he said.

A new madal costs around Rs 3,000 in market. Since many people of this generation do not take up this job, there are very few people who are involved in the madal making business.

Meghnath Dhaulakoti, a local, said the madal making profession had almost disappeared as new generation preferred to earn money through foreign employment or other professions rather than continuing the ancestral profession of making madals.