....and dust from beneath a prostitute's feet

[Guest guest]

....And Man created God!

Arindam Roy, Merinews

07 October 2007

 

[....] Thousands of idol makers throughout the country

are working day and night. They are busy finishing the

images of the war-goddess Durga [For the upcoming Durga

Puja celebrations]. [....]

 

[A]special kind of 'athalo mati' (sticky soil) is needed

for making these clay idols. [....] Banshi Pal, an

artisan from Pandey Haveli, Varanasi [says], " Before

mixing the clay, it is necessary to get some clay from

under the feet of prostitutes; otherwise the idol cannot

be cast. "

 

There were varying opinions of how the tradition of

getting the clay from under the sex worker's feet might

have evolved. Robin Pyne, in his mid-twenties, an art

college graduate from Kolkata reasoned that earlier,

there were no art schools or colleges. It was not possible

for the artists of the yesteryears to study anatomy of the

models. In fact, even these days, some of the better

looking young girls, many of them from red light areas,

pose as nude models for art college students. " The only

option left for these idol makers was to visit the

prostitutes, with their gurus. I have heard from someone

that the young lads were blindfolded and had to feel the

various parts of the woman's body, particularly the

breasts, waist and hips, along with the limbs. They had

to cast it in clay. It took years of training. To give it a

certain religious sanction, it is possible that the clay

trampled by a prostitute was made a part of the religious

tradition. "

 

Mohini, a student of sculpting, felt that a study of a live

woman's body might have been important, though not

necessary. An artist sees many things with his eyes.

He/she is a keen observer. A sense of proportion is

ingrained in that person, which is honed by rigorous

training. She asked, " Does it mean that the artists might

have actually felt the body of a lion, owl, rat, peacock or

swan - the various vahans (vehicles) of the gods and

goddesses? This argument is too simplistic. It would be

like saying that an architect must get a physical feel of

the building or monument before he constructs it. The

tradition is there. It's difficult to trace the exact reason

for it...I do not know how it came about, but one thing

is certain, the practice is gender sensitive and very

honourable. "

 

In an earlier interview with this scribe, Prof Biswanath

Bhattacharya, an Oriental scholar and former head of

Sanskrit and Pali, Banaras Hindu University, smiled and

said, " Durga symbolises the combined strength of all

gods. She was created from the divine power of Hindu

Trinity. The dust from beneath a prostitute's feet is

mixed with the clay making her idols to prove that

though they might be despised by society, they too are a

part of it. Thus, the wasters too have a place in the

scheme of things in Durga Puja. "

 

A senior journalist, Amitabh Bhattacharjee from

Varanasi, had an interesting interpretation. He opined,

" In the Hindu way of life, good and noble elements are

adopted from all places. Good and bad are relative

terms. What's good for one is bad for another. The

Upanishads explain that the concept of sin is misplaced.

Intention has to be seen. When a man in army uniform

shoots the enemy, he is honoured. But, this is not true

for a contract killer.... A prostitute does not

discriminate. The ethics of her profession is such that

she cannot choose her clients. She cannot say 'No' to an

ugly / sickly person. She cannot refuse a client because

he is very rich, famous or learned. She has to accept

anyone who pays her the price for her services. It is this

aspect, which is divine. "

 

" Similarly, the goddess does not discriminate and

choose her devotees. Saint or sinner, rich or poor, wise

or silly, whoever invokes her, is blessed. Goddess Durga

(or for that matter all gods) have a similar ethics as those

of prostitutes. For the former, money or ornaments may

be her price, while for the goddess it is Bhakti

(devotion), " he explained.

 

 

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