‘Make hay while the sun shines’, goes the adage. Many appear to be cashing in on the agitation in support for Samaikyandhra as it is gaining pace with every passing day. The people, who are making the most out it, are the makers of flex banners, flags, effigies, cloth banners, posters and most importantly the folk artistes such as Gangireddu owners and Kolatam.
Venkatesh, who is into the art of ‘Gangireddulaata’ and a resident of a village on the outskirts of Vijayawada city said, “During normal times this period of the year is considered to be lean, as we look for daily wage in the farms, but with the agitation we are in great demand.”
According to him ever since the agitation kicked off, he and his friends are having a busy time. “In a year we are busy with our art only during Sankranti and Vinayaka puja, thanks to the agitation, cash has been raining,” said an innocent Mr.Venkatesh, unmindful and quite oblivious of the outcome of the stir.
The Gangireddulaata has become a regular feature in the agitation, thanks to the innovative approaches being adopted by the various striking JACs.
Mr. Venkatesh charges about Rs. 5,000 for one hour show and his troupe comprises two fully-decked bulls and seven musicians. “Since last 10 days we have been performing at least two shows a day.
Sometimes, we are booked by the APNGOs or by the Autonagar Technicians Association or by some other JAC,” he said.
Not only are the Gangireddulu owners, effigy makers are busy with their art of making effigies of Sonia Gandhi, KCR or Digvijay Singh.
According to one effigy maker on Eluru Road, the charges range between Rs.300 and Rs.1,000 and on an average he makes about five effigies a day.
The cash box has been ringing well even for the flexi makers. We undertake project on turnkey basis, said Ganesh, a DTP operator, explaining the concept. “We make flexies, posters, flags and banners and business has been good in the last few days, thanks to the agitation,” he added.
The order ranges from 100 to 200 banners and flexies on a daily basis and the charge for banners range from Rs.10 to Rs.15 per square foot for banners, he said.
