Even before the residents of the city could settle down after the 11-day Ganesh festivities, many pandal organisers are gearing up for the Dasara Navratri celebrations and placing orders for Durga Matha idols.
Artisans at Dhoolpet, Nagole, Kukatpally, Miyapur and other localities are already busy preparing Durga Matha idols and they claim that the bookings for these idols have been increasing with each passing year.
“It is tough for artistes to make idols as there was no reprieve after the Ganesh idol preparations. But we are helpless, bookings are pouring in from pandal organisers,” says Rajesh, an idol maker at Dhoolpet.
Early orders
Many organisers from Vittalwadi, Secunderabad, Alwal, Bolarum, Begum Bazar, Dilsukhnagar and other areas have placed their orders during the Ganesh festivities itself.
It is not just pandal organisers from the city, but those from the surrounding districts too have placed their orders well in advance.
Organisers from Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Mahabubagar, Ranga Reddy and even Vijayawada purchase idols from these artisans.
With the demand for idols increasing every year, artisans are unable to cope with the pressure.
“Last year, we made 60 idols and this year there are bookings for 80 idols. Though we make profits, artistes cannot take the pressure,” says Santhosh Singh, another idol maker.
Compared to Ganesh idols, lot of effort goes into making Durga idols. Right from designs to the structure, these idols vary a lot and that is the reason artistes need to put extra effort, he adds.
Rising costs
Apart from the pressure of extra work, increasing cost of production too has forced the artisans to confine the number of idols.
The cost of a 25-kg plaster of Paris bag, which was sold at Rs. 110, has now shot up to Rs. 180 per bag.
Likewise, a 40-kg jute bag that was sold at Rs. 480 now costs Rs.700. Labour charges too have gone up, informs Mahesh Singh, another artisan at Arya Samaj in Dhoolpet.
Limited budget
“We have limited budgets and cannot stretch beyond that. Every year, we make 50 idols and we restrict to producing limited number of idols,” explains Mr. Singh.
