CUTTACK: Over the years, Muslims have contributed towards adorning Goddess Durga with finely crafted ‘zari medhas’ in Cuttack, which hosts the grandest puja celebrations in the state. But today, when puja pandals are shifting to Chandi Medhas or silver filigree tableaux for the Goddess, only a few Muslim karigars (artisans) are continuing with the ‘zari’ tradition, one of them being Syed Aslam Ali.
At Banka Bazaar, Aslam is one of the oldest and most sought-after ‘zari’ karigars who has been practising the craft for over three decades and continues to do so even as orders for ‘zari medhas’ in Cuttack are next to nil now. And in the process, he trains young boys from his community in the craft every year.
This year, he has not received any orders from Cuttack but he is supplying six ‘zari’ backdrops, three each to pandals for Durga Puja in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. In Bhubaneswar, his ‘zari medhas’ will adorn Goddess Durga at the pandals of Jharpada (near Melan Ground), Unit-1 and Laxmisagar.
While his entire family contributes towards completing the orders, Aslam ropes in 15 youths to learn the craft and help him in the work. “Today, the tradition of ‘zari medhas’ is fast fading in Cuttack with all organisers wanting Chandi Medhas. The next generation is shying away from the craft which is why it becomes very important to train youngsters in it. They are trained for free and also paid wages every day. Some of them return to work with me every year,” he said. Aslam is the third generation in his family practising the craft.
The backdrops vary in size between 10 ft and 22 ft. It takes him a month to complete one backdrop and work begins six months before Durga Puja. He sources raw materials for the backdrops like ‘zari’, lace, velvet, sequins, paper and bamboo from Surat, Delhi, Kolkata and Cuttack.
Given the fineness of his craft, he has been getting offers from puja pandals in Rourkela, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Berhampur and even Kolkata and Hyderabad for ‘zari medhas’ during Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja and Ganesh Puja. This year, Aslam fixed a 10-ft-high ‘zari medha’ for Ganesh Puja near the Jagannath temple at Hyderabad.
“Every year, we provide new designs for the medhas which appeal to the organisers. The youngsters who are willing to learn, are also asked to contribute. Since, we do not repeat any of our designs, orders keep coming in from areas where zari is still used to decorate the Goddess and other deities,” he said.
From Aksshaya Trititya to Kali Puja, the orders for backdrops keep him busy. “The remaining months, we make mukutas (the crowns which are worn by brides and bridegrooms in Odia weddings). The demand for these mukutas always remains high. Even before the wedding season begins, we get orders from sellers and individuals not just in Cuttack but also from other districts. In fact, every shop selling these mukutas in Cuttack, sells the ones that I make,” he said with a smile.
Being trained by his father Syed Amir Ali since the age of 10, Aslam has been doing the work for the last 35 years.