CHITRADURGA : Deft hands are busy turning a lump of wet clay into resplendent Ganesha idols. While some are painting the idols, some are decorating them. You see rows of these idols in various stages of completion. For the last 10 years, the artisans have been coming all the way from Kolkata to Davangere and making environment-friendly Ganesha idols. Their idols are in great demand from Sarvajanik (community) Ganeshotsav forums.
Clay? That’s the C-word buzzing this Ganesha festival season among the environment-conscious people. And the artists from Kolkata too believe in clay and its eco-friendly qualities. About 50 artists who have formed 4 teams are racing against time (the festival is on Sept 13), giving final touches to the gigantic idols made from clay, bamboo sticks, hay and water colours. These teams have set up their temporary settlements at Holehonnuru Thota (Park) or Umamaheshwari Temple, Beeralingeshwara Temple, Pisale Compound, Pune-Bangalore Road in the city.
These green idols are used keeping in mind transportation and the likely damage to them. Further, the idols get composted within 25 days of immersion and the soil can be used for agricultural purposes after the festival. Hailing from Nadia district bordering Bangladesh, these artists arrive three months before the start of the festival and start making the idols on demand from the public. Having the rich traditional knowledge of pottery and making of the Durga idols in West Bengal, the pottery community or Kumbars first select quality clay and bring it to their place of work. Later, they procure other materials.
This time idols of Ganesha dancing on Adishesha, Garuda Ganesha, Ganesha protecting the trees sending a clear message to the society to protect the trees are among the 50-odd idols being readied.After completion of these idols, the team will move on to their native city, where they will be busy in making the idols of Goddess Durga for the famous ‘Durga Pooja’.
Sanjith Pal of Nadia district of West Bengal says: ‘We are traditional potters and have been making Goddess Durga idols in Kolkata. A call from a person in Davangere 10 years ago brought us to this city. Since then, we have been coming here to make Ganesha idols. Our idols are in great demand from the Sarvajanik Ganesha forums. Majority of such community idols are made by us, We are happy with the support we have been receiving from them.”
“Many public Ganeshotsav organisers from Harihar, Ranebennur, Haveri, Jagalur, Chitradurga, Channagiri and various parts of Davangere city give us the design and advance for making the idols. It takes about 20 days to complete one idol. And it takes nearly 10 days to paint the idol with water colours,” he says.
This time due to the prevalence of dampness in the air for nearly one month, the idols were baked using fire, after which the painting work started. The idols will be ready within two days, says Pal. “Considering environmental pollution, we decided to use grass, bamboo and clay along with water colours and the idols are also very easy for transporting and installation due to their light weight,” he says. (subash@newindianexpress.com)
WHO ARE THESE PALS?
Most people with surname Pal are kumbas or the potter community. But this surname is originally associated with Kayastha Vaishnava Hindu community of Assam and Bengal. They are known for their Ma Durga idols which are used during the famous Durga Pooja across the country.
GANESHOTSAV IN CHITRADURGA
Even though Ganeshotsav is not celebrated on a grand scale in Chitradurga, it has won wide acclaim since the last four years. The Hindu Mahasabha’s Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav is said to be attracting the largest crowd and people not only from Chitradurga, Davangere and other parts of Karnataka, but also from various parts of the neighbouring states.