Kumartoli - The artisan village in the city of Calcutta

SUMMARY

Idols are prime in Hindu religiosity. Calcutta and its craftsmen and women are best in their jobs creating idols of Hindu pantheon. Artists from Kumartoli in central Calcutta get ready from mid-July of what they call post Ratha yatra. Two months left for the Durga puja and orders are piling up. Potters as they are called are clay artists living here for many years. The closest history goes back to times when British settled in Calcutta at Fort William while allotting lands to natives who were divided according to their profession. ‘Coomar’ were the potters mostly with sir name ‘Pal’. The potters collect the clay from the Hooghly silt and do some ritual where they go to the prostitute quarters and ask from some mud from their land. To invoke women power of Durga such mud is required but some argue it is a hypocrisy to show respect towards women for the next few days of Durga puja. Thus, the artist start their work on preparing the frame and layering it with clay. From overseas to local, orders pile up and the quiet mohallah suddenly turns to an active industry working all round the clock. Shifts rake place and you can see men and women take their turn to complete the pending work. As they get closer to Durga puja, the coloring and waxing of the idols get fixed but the hazard to sudden rains during the early autumn is an unavoidable issue and the clay could be in danger. Plastic sheets are used to cover the studios and unhindered work follows. The final and most difficult tasks follow at the end. The eyes of the goddesses. The chief artist of the studio takes a call on that, when he or she, with full concentration draws the eye of the goddesses and that’s when the idols look realistic. Draping saree and arming are the later and last of the jobs. Among all the idols from Durga, Ganesha, Kartikayea, Swaraswati, Laxmi are colored fair skin but the Mahishashura is made the most deadliest, dark skinned ferocious man defending against the pantheon of god and goddesses. The Ashura has to look like the best villain says an artist who specialises on Mahishasura and other ferocious looking idols. Some also say it’s a fight between the creed of fair skin vs the dark ones. But devotees give a damn and move on with whatever mythological beliefs they have. Now comes the most difficult of these jobs. The mammoth sized heavy idols need to be transported to the destinations. Coolies trickle in at Kumartoli along with transporters. The place looks busiest among these days. One crack can finish the artists job, so all needs to be careful. Finally, the transport takes place. Lorries, boats and coolies carry the family and the villain to the destinations. Finally, the lanes at Kumartoli looks deserted. Durga Puja starts. But a sad story always lurks the community for the last couple of years. Huge profits were made and cash transactions were done when in 2016, November, just days after Puja, India was demonetised. Huge currency drained off, and many went to sever losses from which that haven’t come out yet. But Durga puja comes and it goes so other pujas for which they manufacture idols. Subodh Pal an artist lamented, ‘nor ma (refers to Durga) nor the government thinks of us, we will remain poor forever’.With Devi Shakti and women empowerment Durga is missing a lot as there a lot of torture against women in the garb of Shakti everything of that sort is ignored in a patriarchal, laments Pal. But the industry is on as the unstoppable festival hits the date.

By Shome Basu Oct 12, 2018 6:17:54 AM IST (Published)

A busy session of painting.

A coolie or porter looks at the size of an idol.

Due to 24 hour cycle some take rest while others catch up in shifts.

Ganesha getting dressed.

A half made Kali. Heads of the idols are made on die-cast which is actually same for all the idols.

Idol packed and to be transported.

Invoking the goddess by drawing the eye, done by the chief artist in Kumartoli.

Kumartoli makes idols of all Hindu pantheons including proclaimed saints.

Mahishasura, the most important character for whom the Durga and her family comes to the war. He has to look the most ferocious. and dark skinned against the fair skin gods.

One half made and another full made idols are common scene at the studios in Kumartoli.

Painting the goddesses in nude form before draping clothes on them.

Studios are draped with plastic to avoid rains spoiling the clay idols.

The undone frame.

Transportation of Durga idol by boat over river Hooghly.

Widows from Vrindavan visit Kumartoli arranged by Sulabh International.

A girl artist at Kumartoli drapes an idol before it leaves her studio.

Ancellory jobs.

A potter outside his studio in Kumartoli.

Before and during Durga Puja, Chitpore road is a cacaphony of trams, buses and idols.

Clay collection by potters from river Hooghly before making the idols.

Coolies carrying the idol in Kumartoli.