Autumn Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Sanatan Hindus is approaching. Potters are busy making idols in different parts of the country including the capital around this festival. They are working day and night to shape Goddess Durga, Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ashur. They don't even have time to breathe.
On Friday (September 23), the Ramana Kali temple and Dhakeswari temple in the capital were visited and the idol artisans spoke to these facts.
Ramana temple has been visited on the surface, as soon as you enter through the gate, you can see in front of the temple, the idol of Durga has been placed with a layer of clay. Basically, the statue is kept here to dry at the end of the work of the second phase. After that, going forward and going towards the back of the temple, you will see idols placed in a row. Meanwhile, idol workers are working together. They don't even have time to breathe. Some are busy making shapes on clay, while others are spending time rebuilding the wounds of various parts of the idol with smooth clay.
Dhakeswari temple was visited on the surface; the second phase of the idol of Goddess Durga was completed and covered with dome. The idol making potters were not seen there. However, speaking to devotees present at the local temple, it was revealed that the potters have gone on to build another idol of the order.
Meanwhile, compared to the previous year, the price of idols has decreased and the price of materials has increased, the idol makers are expressing their anger. At the same time, as the demand for idols has halved compared to the previous year, they are also expressing their apprehension about the profit after the cost.
Potters blame the turbulent situation in the country centered on the movement as the reason for such a situation.
Ratan Pal, an idol artisan at Ramana Kali temple, said that the environment is not good. The state of the country in this situation is worshiped somewhere, nowhere. No one in any committee wants to take any responsibility. How many problems are there? Moreover, I am working for half the price this year as I did last year. Still thinking if the pavilions can be retained.
At first we thought it would work like every year. We also prepared like that. We could not work for more than a month due to the troubles in the country. There is no order like last time. Last year I worked on 16 idols. I am working on 9 idols this year.
In response to the question that what is the maximum order this year and what was the price of a similar idol last year, he said, this year the maximum order is Tk. 80 thousand. This same idol last year was Tk. 1 lakh 30 thousand.
He also said that 6 people have been working together for the last two and a half months. Then there are bamboo-wood-soil-straw and many other things, all at own expense. We also have to buy soil from Aminbazar as cubic fit. The cost of 200 cubic feet of soil to buy sandy soil is Tk. 6 thousand. It takes Tk. 15/16 thousand to buy clay soil. Then there are the costs of bringing and going. I am buying a handful of this bichuli (straw) for 11 taka. A handful of scum won't work for a single hand. Then again there is the van rent. Even if I buy 300 muth, I still have 600 taka for van rent. Then the cost of paint, the cost of buying the decoration of the statue, how much it costs; but the statue has no price.
Vibek Pal said, this time the order of our statue is less. Last year we had 12/13 idol orders. This time the order has decreased. Only received 10 orders. This time there was no order for the statue. In the beginning no one ordered in this situation of the country. In the end, I still ordered them for a small amount.
He added, the owner takes the order, and we do the work. Then they give us a portion of the profit on a monthly basis. But the owner will have nothing in the current market of the statue. If the owner does not have, then what will give us? If the owner lives, we will live.