Tough Times: Kolkata Idol Makers Battle Poverty

[Guest guest]

KOLKATA (August 13, 2006): The monsoon doesn't always bring cheer.

 

Artisans in Kolkata who breathe life into clay to make the Durga

idols say that despite their skill and talent, they are struggling

to afford a decent quality of life for their family.

 

The country's economic growth has failed to touch their lives. The

monsoon sky is wet but at the famous idol making hub at Kumartuli,

it has brought anxiety, not cheer.

 

The clay images, which refuse to dry during the rains, have to be

ready for the festive season in September. For the nearly 300 master

artisans and their families here, the season is an unproductive one.

 

"Let it get hot. We can tolerate the heat but not the rains," said

Mintu Pal, clay artisan.

 

Though the studios are rough and ready, these artisans are Kolkata's

Michaelangelos.

 

The hammer and chisel, the marble stone are missing, but their

larger than life images express the iconography of the Hindu Goddess

Durga and other gods.

 

But these brilliant artisans, who are OBCs, have not been given

their rightful status in the society.

 

MEAGRE EARNINGS

 

NDTV found the idols in various stages of readiness, which is

surprising given the pressure on time. Idol makers say it is because

their earnings are seasonal and very meagre.

 

Out of last year's earnings, they invest in raw materials for the

current year, and it is a constant struggle to raise the resources.

 

While puja committee budgets have increased manifold, the prices of

the idols have remained static. In fact, the extra money with

committees is spent on frills.

 

Nemai Chandra Pal, who is a graduate, has to invest Rs 5 lakh a

year. Only then can he earn Rs 80,000, which is less than Rs 7,000 a

month. He finds it difficult to sustain his family.

 

"The income is only of three months. The profit margin is not enough

for the whole year. A deficit always remains," said Pal.

 

BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE

 

The state government had announced a grandiose Rs 24 crore plan to

rejuvenate Kumartuli by building better infrastructure for the

studios.

 

But a year later, it has not taken off. The artisans say any plan

must first address their economic concerns.

 

"Just sleeping in a good place is not enough. Just having a shop in

a good place is not enough. Our enterprise, without marketing, means

we will go hungry.

 

"If our stomachs are empty, what is the point of sleeping in a good

place? Let us fill our stomachs and then we can sleep well and then

our work will be good. Without peace, how can an artisan's work be

good?" questioned an artisan.

 

The government can no longer neglect artisans. Like farmers, the

country's artisans are being left out of the economic boom.

 

SOURCE: NDTV

URL: http://www.ndtv.com/features/showfeatures.asp?

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