Raw figurines of straw and clay kept to dry in the sun outside a lane at Allipuram are the first signs that the festival season is round the corner. At a dimly lit workshop nearby, Poltu Pal, craftsman from West Bengal, stands on a ladder etching the doe-shaped eyes of goddess Durga. His mud-spattered kurta make it quite evident that he has no time to change into fresh clothes with Durga Puja, biggest extravaganza for Bengalis, hardly a week away.
Ostracising themselves from their families, like Pal many of these artisans have come to the city from different villages in West Bengal, an annual act of migration which lasts for around four months.
“The grandeur of the festival in West Bengal is something else. It has been nearly two decades that we have been with our families during Durga Puja. Our work ends on Dasami day and that night we all take the train back home,” says Pal, who and his friend Binayak are among the earliest Bengali craftsmen to have come to the Port City to eke out a living by making idols made out of clay brought from the banks of Ganges.
Amidst the hustle and bustle at the workshop, 18-year-old Babul Thandar gets some quick updates of the festivities back home in West Bengal over phone with his family members. “I miss being at home during this festival time. It is my second year in the city. But I can’t afford to get back now as I am here to learn the aesthetics of idol-making,” he says. There is no room for complaints and despair in their lives.
“All that matters is how we can support our families eventually. If Vizag presents before us a better option, we are willing to accept it happily,” says Pal, who learnt the art of making idols from the masters of Kumartuli - Bengal’s idol-making hub in north Kolkata -before starting his own workshop in the city.
There are many youngsters, who got trained under Pals for a few years and have now set up their own workshops at places like Marripalem and Baji Junction. But a few have managed to foster a deep association with the Bengali associations of the city as the Pals have. Right from ECo Railway Sarbojanin Durga Puja at Waltair Kali Bari to Utsav in AMCOSA, all the top Bengali Durga puja organising committees give orders for idols to the Pals every year.
The hot and humid conditions inside the workshop are little deterrents to the commitment of these craftsmen for their work. But GST, poor market sentiments and rising cost of raw materials have dealt a blow on their business this year.
“Take for example our most important material — clay. The cost of it has almost doubled,” says another artisan.
According to the Bengal craftsmen, the cumulative effect will be a rise in prices of about 15 % compared to last year, if the artists want to maintain their profit margin. “Last year idols were approximately priced between ₹18,000 and ₹ 25,000. Considering the rise in costs, the same idols should cost between ₹ 30,000 and ₹ 35,000. But we may not demand that hike as market sentiments are down. Many small organisers have cancelled their festivities this year,” says Binayak Pal.
