A 10-ft Ganesha idol shimmering in a red and green dhoti is placed on a wooden plank on Mokka Street, Kosapet in Purasawalkam. But this magnificence and poise are blurred by a huge plastic cover to protect it from dust.
Towering idols of Ganesha have arrived from all over the State and even outside, and are lined up at Kosapet for Vinayaga Chathurthi .
Thirty-five-year-old N. Nagarajan has brought a unique idol with Hanuman lifting Ganesha in a sleeping posture. “This will cost anywhere between Rs.8,000 and Rs.10,000,” he says. Like the previous years, he has brought 10 statues that are between two and 10 ft from Tiruttani.
Similarly, N. Poomani, who has been selling idols for several years, says they start work on the designs as early as January.
“Of course, we do not make them here. The moulds come from Tirupati based on our orders. Every year, we make some exclusive orders on special designs,” he says.
K. Kumar, an artisan, is now busy painting Krishna dolls for Krishna Jayanthi early next month. After these two festivals, they will gear up for Navarathri, he says.
His relatives and family members make the idols in Puducherry and send them here, while along with his wife, he paints them in his pint-sized house, sending the idols to 25 cities, and even abroad.
The routine, over decades, has honed the skill to the point that they can paint the idols effortlessly while watching television soaps. But this fact does not make their story less dull and gloomy. “We borrow Rs.5 lakh in the beginning of the year and then pay interest every month,” he says. The investments are huge but returns insignificant, they say. Many took it up then because of compulsion. Now, they say they may not want their children to follow their vocation.
“All we ask of the government is to help us with space and loans with lower interest rates. This will aid many artisans like us,” Mr. Kumar says.
Towering idols of Ganesha from all over the State and outside are lined up at Kosapet for the coming Vinayaga Chathurthi
