Giving final touches to idols

ARTISTS ARE busy completing Durga idols with only a few days left for the Puja to begin. Radhey Shyam Pal, whose family has been in the business for almost seven decades, has made about 27 figures for this Durga Puja. He says, ?The most prominent figure that we make is about 18 feet tall, including the background.

ARTISTS ARE busy completing Durga idols with only a few days left for the Puja to begin.

Radhey Shyam Pal, whose family has been in the business for almost seven decades, has made about 27 figures for this Durga Puja. He says, “The most prominent figure that we make is about 18 feet tall, including the background.

This figure is for Bengali Club. We have been doing it for the club for about 50 years now. This is the only figure that is made at the venue. Other figures we make at our workshop. We are using an eighty-year-old figure for the club. It is still strong and steady.”

Pal has employed about four workers from Kolkata for this work. He says, “These people know the intricacies of the art. They are precise and can do it better than others. They came to Lucknow three months ago and since then they have been here.” He adds, “We have made figures for Ashiana, Shingar Nagar, Alambagh, Lalbagh and a few other important places.” Ornaments and sari from Bengal are used to decorate the figures.

Similarly, Neeloy Mitra in Rajajipuram says, “My parents have gone to Bengal to get the ornaments and sari for Durga ji. Bengal is the place where we get a genuine stuff. We get pure silk sari for Durga Ma when some people insist.”

Neeloy and his family are making Durga ji’s figures for Ashiana, Shivaji Marg, Indira Nagar, Munshi Pulia and Rajendra Nagar.

However, Pal is upset about the fact that the younger generation is not making any effort to keep the traditions alive. Earlier, the face of Durga ji was made of mud bought from Bengal but now nobody makes an effort to use Bengal mud for the face. Also earlier no ornaments or jewellery was used to dress up Durga ji, everything was made out of clay and the ‘kalaakar’ used to paint the sari and ornaments.