Home ›› 03 Oct 2022 ›› Back
Durga Puja is celebrated every year with its own glory and splendour but the people who craft the idols for the festival are neglected and underpaid turning the next generation away from their hereditary art.
Astami, the most important and populous event of the festival, will be celebrated today. When Bengali Hindu community celebrates Kumari Puja artisans usually leave for home this day but this year they are returning home with a pale smile as they are out of pocket.
Idols of goddess Durga, her daughters and sons and Mahishasura are the main attraction of the festival.
Every year Puja celebration committees across the country strive to be the best at arranging the most magnificent and attractive puja and they commission idol artists to make idols around the country.
Ratan Pal, an idol artist for more than two eras, is currently working at the Ramna Kali Mandir, Dhaka. He takes about 10 orders from different temples and societies every season and earns up to Tk8 lakh.
But it takes three months to complete the process of idol making and needs more than 25 people. In the end, after paying for the raw materials and his employees, he can save around Tk1, 20, 000 to Tk1, 50, 000.
People are celebrating Puja more and more, especially in the city, but artisans are not earning enough to support their families amid soaring prices of essentials.
“The amount of labor and artistic skill needed to complete the process of idol making is immense and I love the work. But when I get paid I have a whole year ahead of me with such little money,” he sighed.
Artisans usually take orders after the Rathayatra in the Bengali month of Sraban and the Puja celebration usually takes place in Ashwin.
This year the country saw a massive price hike of essentials and inflation half a month after the idol artisans had received orders. Now they cannot do anything as the orders were received much earlier putting them in big trouble.
Dilip Pal, an artisan from Kotwali, Chittagong, has been making idols for 23 years. He took orders from the Puja committee before the price hike like other artisans and when the prices of essentials increased, he demanded some extra money to compensate for some of the losses.
“They asked me to manage somehow this year and assured me of increased wages next year,” Dilip said.
Artisans collect materials like clay, hay, straw, bamboo, woods and colors from different parts of the country. As transportation cost has increased significantly and so has their expenditure.
“When the season starts, we become excited to take part in the centuries-old festival but when we receive the payment, all joys fade away,” said one artisan.
However, local rural artisans are facing more problems as they cannot negotiate much due to their social status. Arun Pal, an artisan from the Bagerhat area, has been making idols for generations and his relatives are also involved in this profession. Artisans like him suffered more during the Covid-19 epidemic.
“I managed my family somehow with debt during the pandemic. Small artisans like me don’t get loans and government facilities.”
In rural areas, family members of the artisans usually help in the idol making process and they do not employ other workers. This way, they try to keep the cost low but also lose the opportunity to pursue other professions.
Suresh Pal, another artisan from this area, also makes idol. His wife, son, daughter and son-in-law also pursue it as main profession but Suresh is not happy with it.
“I didn’t want them to help me, rather I wanted my son to study and get a good job and good life. But I couldn’t afford to pay for his education and during the pandemic he left his study and joined me permanently.”
The next generation is losing interest in this hereditary art due to underpayment and less opportunities to expand business. Bappi Sarkar, a third generation artisan who works in different districts every year has two sons. One is studying in class 10 and the other is in class 6.
His sons do not want to take it as a profession, rather they want government jobs. On the other hand, Ratan Pal’s youngest son wants to pursue this art form but Ratan does not want his son to face the problem he is facing right now.
According to Ramayana, Shardia Durga Puja or Akal Bodhan was initiated by Sri Ramachandra. But historical evidence says it probably started in the early 1500s. It is believed that the landlord of Maldar, Dinajpur first started this puja.
He received orders from the goddess in his dream and started celebrating the arrival of the goddess on earth. But that Goddess Durga had a different form. According to folklore, the vehicles of the goddess were a white tiger and a green lion.
The goddess got her present look during the British rule and got popularity throughout Bengal. Since then artisans have been playing a key role in the celebration. Artisans want patrons and the government’s help to keep this ancient art alive. They also want to form a welfare society for the betterment of their condition.
The Puja celebration committees of different temples said they are trying their best to help the artisans but they have limitations too.
Ramana Kali Mandir Committee President Utpal Sarkar said, “We provide artisans with a place to work year round. But we cannot increase their payment significantly due to budget and market rate.”
“If artisans want to form any welfare society or they need other administrative help, I will earnestly help them,” he added.
