In the run-up to the Gowri-Ganesh festival slated during the week, the traditional clay artisans of the city are working over time to ward off the competition from bulk manufacturers of idols from other centres.
A majority of the clay artisans in the city are concentrated in Dodda Kumbarageri, Hebbal, Agrahara etc. and take pride in the tradition inherited from their forefathers.
A large chunk of the idols entering the city will be procured by the wholesale traders — from distant places, including Kolar, Tumakuru, and Bengaluru. But for them, trading in idols is purely an economic activity which is not so for the local and traditional artisans for whom it is also a craft to be passed on to posterity.
The festival provides employment and income to sustain them for at least five to six months in an year but with supply exceeding demand, the economic returns entailed in making idols is turning out to be low with each passing year.
“But this is a sacred task for me and many of my ilk and will not give it up despite the low returns,” said Puttaswamy, a traditional clay artisan based in Dodda Kumbarageri.
“While a majority of the youth of the present generation have taken to more lucrative forms of employment, there are a few who take pride in their ancestral craft and my son, who is studying PU II, is one of them and will keep the tradition alive for posterity,” Mr. Puttaswamy added.
A view endorsed by another artisan Revanna, whose claim to fame is the manufacture of theme-based idols depicting social and current events.
About three decades ago, Kumbarageri was a beehive of activity of artisans. However, a majority have relocated or given up the profession, said Mr. Revanna. The raw material is procured from villages like Doora outside Mysuru and a tractor load of clay costs around ₹6,000. Mr. Revanna procures two to three truck loads every year out of which he churns out a round 2,000 Ganesh idols. “But with rising cost and falling profits, artisans now scout for alternate profession for their economic sustenance,” said Mr. Puttaswamy, who doubles up as a specialist tailor for seven months of the year. “The remaining five months goes into making Ganesh idols,” he added.
However, the clay artisans have secured a reprieve with the crack down on idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) and the drive to promote eco-friendly idols.
So, for the first time in recent years and with growing environmental awareness, the demand for clay and colourless idols has exceeded the demand for coloured ones which provides the proverbial silver lining to the fortunes of these artisans.
