The demonetisation has put a group of families engaged in making stone idols at Nagalapuram village, bordering the Tiruchi-Perambalur districts, in a soup.
At least 15 finished idols have been gathering dust at each shop -- (called ‘pattarai’ in local parlance) -- in the village, as most of those who placed orders have not come forward to take delivery for want of small denomination currencies.
The village accounts for three major ‘pattarai’ each ‘pattarai’ having a strength of at least 10 labourers.
Thus, as many as 30 workers have been left in the lurch as they are unable to get wages for their work.
The men are involved in making idols, mostly catering to the needs of rural temples. These sculptors have learnt the art from their forefathers and are skilled in making different forms of gods and goddesses.
Lord Ganapathy, Sri Perumal, Sri Chellayi Amman, Sri Ondikaruppanna Swamy and Sri Mariamman are the main deities for which there has been a consistent demand.
Each idol is priced between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 35,000 depending on its size and intricate carvings involved. “Although we had readied the idols based on orders, most of them have been idling at our shops,” says G. Venugopal, one of the ‘pattarai’ owners.
The major financial set back he faces is due to the huge investment on idols of bigger size with intricate craftsmanship. Two idols -- Sri Chandikeswari and Sri Bairavar - which were priced at Rs. 1.25 lakh each are yet to be taken. The height of the idol is 5.5 feet and involves complex workmanship,” he said.
Although he had taken an advance, it was just part of the expenditure meant for the stone and labour wages.
Another sculptor, V. Lakshminarayanan, said that labourers were finding it difficult to eke out their livelihood, although they could manage by exchanging the old currencies.
Every ‘pattarai’ disburses wages on monthly basis on the first working day every month. ‘We do not know what to do on December 1, when we should disburse wages. We only hope that the situation would ease by then,” he said.
Workers who have pinned their hopes on their masters, have been working with their chisels and hammers.
The sculptors said that they purchase stones from Oothukuli for making the idols. “We first ascertain the quality of stones so that we do not incur any loss due to any defect,” Mr. Venugopal says. They accept the order and work on an idol after taking an advance from the temple authorities. “We have stocked a large number of idols in our thatched shed, all awaiting delivery,” he says.
Families engaged in making stone idols at Nagalapuram village, bordering the Tiruchi-Perambalur districts, are a troubled lot
