Kolkata: The rain over the past few days has forced potters in Kumartuli to take refuge under plastic sheets to complete the idols before the onset of the festive season.
Many idol makers are also using pedestal fans, blowtorches and charcoal ovens to dry the deities in the absence of proper sunlight during the past few days.
“Work on Ganesh idols is going on in full swing as the festival is in the first week of Sept.Even Durga idols are being made in large numbers and proper sunlight is a necessity at this stage. If the mud figurines do not dry up properly we cannot proceed to the next stage. But it has been overcast and raining for the past one week forcing us to take other measures to complete the work on time,” said Kartik Pal, secretary of the Kumartuli Mritshilpi Sanskritik Samity.
Many idol makers have completed the work of curating the Ganesh idols and are half way through moulding the Durga idols.
“We are now waiting for the idols to dry up so that the work of painting and decorating the idols can be started,” said Mala Pal, another idol maker in Kumartuli.
She has put up a big plastic sheet and is working on the idols outside her workshop. “Ganesh idols are big and it is difficult to complete so many indoors,” said Pal.
Many organisers take the delivery of idols much before Durga Puja as the pandals are thrown open to the public early nowadays. “Sometimes we have to hire more labourers to meet the deadline. Arrangements to safeguard from rain and complete the idols on time are adding to the cost,” said Sujoy Pal, who has accepted orders for both Ganesh and Durga idols.