At a time when concerns are being raised about water pollution caused by immersion of idols, Manoj Deb, a Chittaranjan Park resident, has come up with a creative solution – a Durga idol made of just folded paper and glue.
Mr. Deb (42), is a partner in an advertising agency and has done some popular advertising campaigns for major brands.
Being a fine arts student, he still loves to paint in his leisure time and creating an idol of Goddess Durga was on his mind for several years.
“As an art student, I have worked with different medium but when it came to giving shape to my dream of creating an idol of Durga, I thought why not use a material that is biodegradable?” Mr. Deb said. He said that since so much is being talked about the effects that plaster of paris idols and toxic paints have on the river's ecosystem, it is ideal to use a material that dissolves easily in water.
“That is when I planned to create a complete Durga idol with paper. I just rolled up pastel paper and pasted it in form, without using any colour,” he said.
The six feet high idol cost Mr. Deb less than Rs. 1,000 and he said that some Durga Puja organisers have shown interest in using similar idols next year. Since only clay idols are used for religious purposes, a bigger paper idol can be kept in the pandal and a smaller clay idol can actually be used for the Puja, as is done in many Kolkata pandals where experimentation with the idol has taken various forms.
Mr. Deb said that while 3D printed idols have been created before, his is the first completely handmade paper Durga in the world.
“With every fold and every line, this idol has been painstakingly created through weeks,” he said. “I hope this encourages more people to opt for eco-friendly Durga idols. Each year, tens of thousands of Durga idols are immersed in water, leading to pollution,” he said. “I firmly believe it’s time to make our festivals friendlier to maintain ecological balance. The society will change when we become the change,” he said.
The six feet idol cost Deb less than
Rs. 1,000 and he said some Durga Puja organisers have shown interest in using similar idols next year
