A Happy Ending? [Kolkata Idol Makers Battle Poverty]

[Guest guest]

KOLKATA: With less than three weeks left for Durga Puja, the artists

in Kumartuli, the traditional home of the image-makers in North

Kolkata, face the anxiety of not just meeting deadlines -- but also

the possibility that they will have a better location soon.

 

"The Union Government has agreed in principle to the Rs. 27-crore

project," said Ashok Bhattacharya, West Bengal Minister for Municipal

Affairs and Urban Development.

 

The project, which includes the development of permanent structures

for the artists' colony, will come under the Basic Services to the

Urban Poor scheme, which is part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National

Urban Renewal Mission.

 

Mr. Bhattacharya said the State Government was looking for a suitable

site for the temporary warehouses that will house the artists, their

families and provide space for their workshops.

 

"The Centre is expected to approve the plan... this month," he said.

"The artists' would be rehabilitated after the puja [season], while

the reconstruction work in the original area would start sometime in

February."

 

"Once approved, the Centre will bear 50 per cent of the cost, while

the other 50 per cent will be shared by the State Government and the

beneficiaries," Mr. Bhattacharya said.

 

Those engaged in the business of crafting idols are well aware of the

need for development. Ranjit Sarkar, one among the 525 artists who

work here, says: "A few spells of rain play havoc in these areas, as

the narrow streets get waterlogged and slippery due to the presence of

clay and straw, the raw materials for making images."

 

To add to the misery, the sculpting is done in ramshackle sheds, with

only a polythene sheet as protection from the elements.

 

This surely is good news for the artists.

 

SOURCE: The Hindu, Chennai. A colony for the Kolkata artists after

Durga Puja, by Antara Das

URL: http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/13/stories/2006091308642000.htm

 

 

 

, "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta

wrote:

>

> 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?

> slug=Kolkata+idol+makers+battle+poverty&Id=1361#

>