Rain concern for Kumartuli artisans ahead of Ganesh Puja
Times of India | 25 August 2024
12 Kolkata: A fortnight before Ganesh Puja, artisans in Kumartuli are a worried lot as heavy rain over the past few days have hampered their idol-making work. Intense spells of rain have even blown away the canopy of plastic sheets — a shield for the idols — at their workshops. Neither have they been able to dry the clay idols nor apply paint on them.
After the heavy downpour on Saturday afternoon, some parts of Kumartuli witnessed waterlogging.
Though the storm water was drained out after some time, it left behind slush and garbage on the narrow by-lanes of the idol-makers’ enclave. “Majority of the idol-makers either work out of their homes or at tiny workshops. But, they do most of the work on the streets as often the idols don’t fit into their cramped creative corners. Thus, rain has affected their work,” said Mala Pal, an idol-maker in Kumartuli. Kartik Pal, secretary of Kumartuli Mritshilpi Sanskritik Samity, said many artisans had wrapped up the idols with plastic and were waiting for a dry spell to resume their work. There hadn’t been much progress in their work so far, Pal added. Artisans were forced to move indoors with their unfinished idols.
Artists had stocked raw materials, paints and other paraphernalia for shaping up the idols. Amid rain, the artisans were busy moving their stocks to a dry place, said Mintu Pal, another artisan. To meet deadlines, many artisans are now contemplating to use blow torches, pedestal fans and charcoal burners to dry the idols. The workload is immense as Ganesh Puja marks the beginning of the festive season. “We have to finish work on Ganesh idols in the next few days and start work on Biswakarma and Durga idols,” said another idol-maker.