CUTTACK: Countdown to Durga Puja has begun and filigree artisans already have a full plate with creating unique ‘Chandi Medha’ (silver filigree backdrops) for different puja mandaps, besides cleaning and polishing the existing pieces and ornaments of the deities.
After the festival ends, the Chandi Medhas are dismantled into smaller parts and carefully preserved for use in the upcoming year. These separated parts known as Pasatati, Kalika, Mayura, Phulapati, Belapati, Prabha, Mukuta, Kiran etc., are required to be cleansed and polished every two years before being joined together to form elaborate silver tableaux. Similar practice is followed for the gold and silver ornaments and weapons of the deities.
This is done to bring back the lustre of the silver filigree tableaux and the ornaments, which generally lose their sheen after being exposed to smoke emitted during puja and the immersion ceremonies. And this cleaning and polishing work fetches the filigree artisans an additional source of income during the festival.
“We clean the silver and gold pieces with the help of brass brushes, reetha, sura, suaga and sulphuric acid. Around Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 is spent towards cleaning one Chandi Medha, which usually takes at least 12 to 15 days,” said a filigree artisan.
However, despite this being an opportunity to make some extra bucks during the festival, not all filigree artisans get a chance to do so. Over 250 filigree artists reside in Cuttack but barely around 100 are involved in this cleaning and polishing work this year. These artisans are generally chosen by the puja committees basing on the finesse of their work.
In such a situation, those without work are forced to switch professions to support their families. “Most of us don’t have enough work in hand. Hence I was compelled to leave the profession and have since Covid been working as a food delivery agent,” said 45-year-old Jitendra Moharana, a former filigree artist of Baseli Sahi.