The Men Who Create God

Every autumn, West Bengal and the states in its neighbourhood wear an air of community celebration and pageantry. Devotees welcome Goddess Durga who is believed to leave her home in the Himalayas to spend a few days in her parents’ home in the plains of Bengal. Though the festivities span over five days, preparations for the Puja commence months in advance. If one has to understand the kind of back-breaking labour that goes into preparing for the festival, some of the best people to ask would be the clay modelers (Pals) from Kumartuli, North Kolkata who tirelessly produce some of the finest samples of idol making, year after year.


This autumn, I tried to understand the life and work of one such artisan, Ajoy Pal, who had been hired by 12 Puja committees of my hometown, Jamshedpur. Pal has been assisting his father since he was 13. Now aged 45, he dropped out of school in Class 8 and has been making the annual autumnal trip to Jamshedpur ever since. Shy and initially reluctant to interact, he starts conversing by first explaining to me the arduous process of idol making in the traditional Kumartuli style. First, bamboo sticks are used to make the skeletal structure of the idol, followed by giving shape to the idol using jute ropes and straw. In the second stage, a clay solution with an adequately high percentage of water is used to fill the crevices of the straw structure. Palms, head and feet of the idol are separately moulded by the highest graded Pal, Ajoy being one of them. After these parts are fixed to the main figurine, another layer of clay (this time very fine and without any impurities) is applied with a soft cloth to prevent cracks in the idol once it dries. The image is then painted, either with oil paints or water colours, depending on the humidity. The main artist then paints the eyes and sticks the jute hair. The idol is dressed and ornamented, and made ready to be taken to respective pandals for worship. All these preparations generally begin in March-April each year.


I enquire about where he sources the materials from. Ajoy says,“ The fundamental rule to be followed is that all the core materials should come from the river.. the sandy soil, clay, etc. However, this ritual is hard to follow at all times. The jewellery and sarees are sourced from Shovabazar, while the bamboo, jute and straw come from our traditional supplier in Purulia.” Pal explains another crucial aspect of arranging the raw materials. “Dust from beneath the feet of a prostitute is mixed with the clay used for making the idol. People differ as to why this tradition is followed. But I believe it signifies the fact that even those who are despised from society and live along its fringes are invited for the festivities.”


Though clay-modellers from Kumartuli belong to the purist school of idol-making but artisans have bent rules to cater to particular needs of Puja committees. Given an option, Ajoy still prefers the traditional fashion wherein the Goddess is placed on a single platform with her children, but Puja associations coax medellers to flirt with traditions and create idols on separate platforms for ease of transportation. For the first time in 2001, Ajoy’s group made an idol that could be dismantled. This was done for a client in New Jersey. In fact, these days idols are decorated from a whole plethora of materials- chalk pieces, buttons, coins, matchsticks etc.


So would Ajoy like his children to tread on his footsteps. “No”, comes the quick reply. “I’m nobody to stop them from taking up the traditional family craft, but if I could influence their career choices, I’d dissuade them from following me.” He explains that the conditions of idol-modellers all across the country is rather unenviable. Unlike in earlier times when artists were patronized by kings, famous families, businessmen etc., conditions today are not conducive for a artisan to earn comfortably by depending on his craft. Puja committees haggle incessantly and pay them paltry sums (sometimes just Rs.10000 for a single set of Durga and her children), there is space constraint and material costs are rising. He gives me a sample, “100 quintals of riverbed clay cost around Rs. 750-800 just two years back, but stands at Rs. 1500 this year, chiefly due to reclamation of riverbed land for real estate development along the Hoogly. Are we being compensated by puja committees for bearing these insanely high costs? Is the government subsidizing our expenses? How do I ask my children to follow in my footsteps?”


With a week for the Pujas to commence, I ask Pal where he sees himself 10 days down the line. Thoughtfully he responds, “My karma is to enable the community to have five days of unadulterated joy by gifting them a part of my craft. By since you’ve asked…perhaps scouting for employment-as an electrician, plumber, locksmith- to support my family and myself for the rest of the year.” (I met Ajoy Pal on the 10th of October this year.)

This article is a tribute to the craftsmen of Kumartuli- the men who create God.


Sourovi De


This article was published in the 80th issue of Yamuna (2007-08)