PUDUCHERRY: The decision of Puducherry government to allow installation of Vinayakar idols in public places in the Union Territory (UT) has proved a breather to potters from Tamil Nadu. Public celebrations are expected in over 200 locations in the UT. And most of the idols to be installed in pandals there are likely to be from Tamil Nadu as Puducherry potters have not made large Vinayakar idols this year.
Except for a few that were stored well, most large paper-mache idols made last year got damaged, causing heavy losses to artisans, said Padma Shri recipient V K Munusamy, also a UNESCO-recognised craftsman. By the time the government passed the order to allow the celebrations, it was too late for us to start making large idols, he said.
“Hence, I am sourcing idols for three of my orders from a potter in Ayyankoilpattu Agaram near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu,” he added. “We have placed orders for around 120 large idols from potters in Tamil Nadu since the mould for making these are readily available with them,” said Sanil Kumar,
President of Puducherry unit of the Hindu Munnani. A 21-foot-tall idol is being made by a potter from Kandamangalam in Villupuram. Many Tamil Nadu potters have also taken places in Puducherry on rent to resolve logistic issues of transporting the idols to UT.
But, not all potters from Tamil Nadu will benefit from this opportunity. “Idol making used to start 10 months before the festival and thousands of families engaged in the business. Now, due to Covid-related restrictions, we could not make new idols. And many were forced to look for other jobs,” said Punniyakotti, an idol maker from Vellore in Tamil Nadu.
“We have over 1,500 finished idols gathering dust in workshops in Vellore,” he added. Ko Mahesh, Vellore district president, Hindu Munnani, told TNIE: “The government says it’s part of the effort to control the spread of the infection. But, why did it lift the ban on TASMAC, theatres, schools, and shopping malls, where people gather and can pose a risk of the virus spreading?” he questioned.
With inputs from Shyamsundar N from Vellore