NEW DELHI: “Interview deoar time nei, onek kaaj…somoy kom (don’t have time to give an interview…we have a lot of work to finish in very little time)” exclaimed Joydeep Pal, as he brushed wet paint softly on a dried layer of clay.
Hailing from Nadia district in West Bengal, Joydeep’s home for the past four months has been the makeshift tent erected at Kali Mandir in South Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park.
“We are neck-deep in work. There’s hardly a few days left for Durga Puja to begin. We need to complete our work by Panchami (October 3). Making sure the Goddess looks her best is in our hands. Any mistake and all our efforts will be wasted,” said the 42-year-old artist as he sipped his evening cup of tea. Known as ‘kumore’ in Bengali these potters travel to different parts of India every year, including Delhi.
A replica of the Kumartuli (a locality in North Kolkata which is famous for being a traditional potter’s hub) is assembled where artisans and craftsmen are brought in from West Bengal to sculpt the idols for the most anticipated festival for Bengalis around the world.
Idols of different sizes and shapes, from ek-chala-thakur (all idols on one platform) to the large traditional ones — the artists often have to toil away for more than 16 hours a day in the final run-up to handle the mounting pressure.
They recreate the charisma and grandeur of Goddess Durga every year for New Delhi’s large Bengali diaspora.
“Putting it all in place is not an easy affair. It is very time-consuming. It takes a lot of patience, mental strength and stamina. We have to deliver more than 35 orders…we are a group of 12 artists this time.
Out of the 12, three are down with seasonal flu,” said Abhijeet Pal, 28, as he remained engrossed in his work.
Abhijeet, from Chakdaha of the same district, has been making idols for more than nine years. Learning the craft from his father, Pal said the craft of idol-making is the only thing he knows.
“I haven’t learnt anything apart from this. I didn’t study much when I was young and so I cannot get a different job. Traditionally, my family consists of potters; we are into farming as well. This is not an easy profession, it takes years to learn the craft and hone the skills required to become an expert,” he stated.
The four months are not only physically exhausting for the potters, but also an emotional and mental challenge as well. “It is a job that we do for our family. When we work outside of Bengal, we get paid a bit more than what we get back home…roughly Rs 200 more a day, it’s not a huge difference but we can end up saving some of that extra money. The hardest part of it all is staying away from one’s family,” said Ajay Pal, 25, who is a fourth-generation potter.
Most of these artists pack up and reach their hometown on Saptami (second day of puja). Some stay back till Lakshmi and Kali Puja or Diwali is over.
“By the time we get back home, puja is almost halfway complete. There is a different kind of emotion before the festival begins but here it is missing. Nothing can beat the festive mood of Bengal. Here the pandals look like circus tents,” Ajay commented.
It’s not an easy life for the artisans. Starting work around eight in the morning, their work continues till two in the afternoon. After taking a lunch break which lasts for three hours, they resume work again from five in the evening.
“There is no fixed time when we stop work for the day. The closer it gets to Puja, the more hectic it gets. It is no less than a jail here, just that there’s no cage and no bars holding us back. There’s hardly any freedom that we enjoy. Back home, we take breaks as per our wishes or work according to our convenience but here we have to follow a routine,” said Joydeep.
The artists said over the past two years they have been encountering a new menace – photo shoots of models with props and the never-ending barrage of paparazzi that follows.
“At times it becomes very difficult to work…they dump their things and occupy our space. Many of them don’t understand what kind of atmosphere is needed around here to work. Youngsters come and make a lot of noise…a few days ago a group damaged an idol,” Joydeep noted.
Apart from the clay which is collected from the banks of the river Yamuna, the rest of the materials— from clothes, ornaments and colours—are brought in from Kolkata.
“We had a meeting two months ago where we were told what not to use. This time, we haven’t used any oil paint” Abhijeet stated.
Going eco-friendly
This year, the artists are trying to use environment-friendly materials in idol-making. “We have not used any oil paint. Purely natural colour has been used. Many of the items we used to decorate the idols earlier have been left out,” said Abhijeet, one of the artists.