Away from the glitzy mela stalls and the shoppers walking around the Blind Relief Association ground, three men sit at a table littered with wax, threads and candles and surrounded by rusted machines. One peels the extra wax off the small candles with a knife without looking, another fixes threads into metal candle bases with his eyes closed. The three of them turn out candles and diyas of different kinds without a glitch, but with the knowledge that they will never see them alight.

The annual Diwali Bazaar for the visually challenged workers at The Blind Relief Association means working overtime, some extra money, a Diwali holiday and the usual darkness. In this large bleak room, Diwali seems far away.

“Before Diwali, we work more than usual because people buy more candles and other products. We are paid for the overtime. What else?” says 43-year-old Harish Kumar. Kumar has been working here for the last 23 years now and can make colourful designer candles. “This is our job, making candles. We get paid for it and like what we are doing. People say they (the candles) look good,” he says.

Outside, there are myriad stalls selling artwork, cheap bangles, cane furniture, wood art, idols and more. “I have been coming to this mela for two years now and enjoy shopping here, knowing that it helps the disabled. There are also great things to buy,” Shamita Deswal, 32, says.