With only two months left for Durga Puja, the clay idol makers of Kumortuli, the traditional quarter of artisans in north Kolkata, are a worried lot.
Due to delayed rain, they are unsure if they would be able to meet the delivery deadline of the idols of goddess Durga, four of her offsprings, the Asura and the animals they ride. The deadline is in the first week of October.
Nirmal Pal, an idol maker for three decades, says they have started putting in more hours. “We are working overtime from morning 9 a.m. till 6 pm, with an hour break to meet the deadline. ”
However, the artisans are more worried about the idols that are to be exported – they “need to be completed within the next 10 days”.
Drying the clay idols is another key problem. “A lot of time is required to dry big ones” says China Pal, who takes care of her father’s workshop.
She talks of another problem. “Big idols -- like that of Ma Durga or Asura – slowly take shape outside the canopy where most of the small-sized idols are kept,” she says.
Rain is preventing the artisans from working outside the canopy for long hours. “Due to rain the workers have to stay inside the canopy, delaying the completion of big idols,” she adds.
Anticipating that the issue may affect livelihood of hundreds of families, State Minister Sashi Panja distributed some plastic sheets and tents on Saturday.
The artisans are also worried about the increased cost of making idols. The wages have been increased from Rs 500 per day to Rs 1,000, due to extra hours. “Every year wages increase a bit, but they never get doubled like this time,” says Basudeb Pal, who temporarily inducts workers during this time of the year.
More and more electricity is used due to less sunlight, adding to the cost. Mr Pal says fans and heaters are used for drying up the idols.
As fewer buyers have come till now, potters are also tensed about advance payments. “We produce gods on a large scale anticipating a rush of buyers two months before the Puja. But this year the rush is clearly less,” says Rudra Pal. He adds that banks refused to give loans this year, since most of the potters failed to repay last year. As a result they are unable to give wageson time. “Due to delay in payment, villagers are unwilling to come to Kumortuli this year,” he says.
There is a ray of hope yet. Organisers of several residential and club Pujas say they will continue to buy from the same artisans and pay 40 per cent in advance.
“We will try to ensure, like every year, that they [potters] pay their bank loans and we will pay the rest of the amount at the time of the delivery ,” says Ajay Basak of Chitali Sangha puja committee in central Kolkata.
On Saturday, Mr Basak paid an advance of Rs 10,000 for an idol which will cost Rs 30,000.
[The writer is an intern at The Hindu]
