Sanctity on the Streets

 

The festive mood is coming, as Durga Puja is approaching closer to the month of October, but this time the Durga Puja will be curtailed due to Covid-19, and this time it has been urged to the Organisers to ban the cultural program and main focus on social distancing among devotees during all festivities, starting from inauguration to immersion.

During this festival time, when the mood is festive and the spirit soars, these artisans are in a great demand.  They have their hands full during festivals like Durga Puja, Diwali, Ram Navami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Mahashivratri, etc. 

While crossing the ITO bridge one can see from a distance a row of idols of god and goddesses facing the bank of the Yamuna.  The artistic grandeur of these idols is to be seen to be believed.

This area is popularly known as ‘Hathishala’ near ITO bridge where the spiritual and social life of people merge seamlessly to create an atmosphere of congeniality and brotherhood.  Their idols are sought after by devotees for far and near, particularly neighbouring cities like Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram and even states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, etc.

Mostly these people are engaged in this craft for more than a decade and during the four months of the peak festival season artisans can make a neat sum but for the rest of the year the margin is quite low.   

Here, one can find the traditional art of clay idol making of 7 feet to 8 feet Durga Pratima.  After completion, the idol sells for Rs 4,000.  But for the artisans it is a constant struggle to make two ends meet.  Though, an exhibition takes place every year in Kumartuli, where the artisans have the opportunity to showcase their talent and this is the only sole exhibition, where they actually get the proper attention of the people coming across the globe.  

The sordid picture is that due to lack of exhibition and opportunity especially the inherent creativity and personal touch of an artist is lost somewhere in this struggle to earn a livelihood. 

Hathishala near [ITO bridge] is a well-known place and is home to scores of artisans, who make a living out of idol-making.  But in the absence of government patronage, their creative energies remain suppressed.

What is pity that this majestic art is slowly dying and if not preserved in earnest, this tradition of devotional art will vanish like the members of this artisan community whose talent is compromised in the dingy slums where they elbow grease their way securing the necessities of life.