Ganesh Chaturthi 2016: Prosperity evades Ganesh idol-makers

Gurgaon: Twenty years ago, Bansi, a teenager from Rajasthan left his village to come to Gurgaon in hope for a better life, more money. Coming from a family of artisans, it was easy for him to pick up idol-making and he did it with much zest for the money was good. With a day to go for Ganesh Chaturthi, which will be celebrated on Monday, the artist is far from happy.
The times have changed.Earning is no more flattering, and the work is backbreaking. It takes around four months to build a 5-7 feet idol and it sells for anywhere between 18-20,000. And the idol-makers have to survive on the earning for the rest of the year.
Now 40, Bansi is a father to four daughters and a son, and says his heart aches at the thought of his kids’ future. None of them goes to school. “We have spent our whole life doing this and I shudder at the thought of my daughters having to live the same life,” said Bansi. He claims he has tried several times to get them admitted to a school, but failed because he doesn’t have an identity proof. “They could never make it to school despite several attempts by me,” said Bansi.
A few metres away, sits another artist, Belaram, with paint on his clothes and sparkle smudged on his face. He and his sons are giving final touches to an idol that has to be sold for them to make it through off-season.
Belaram has made idols his whole life and he does not have any other skill, neither are there any oppurtunities. “Our father came here as an adult, he then got married and had us. We grew up, got married, learnt the art and this is what we have been doing,” said Sumit, one of his sons.
Just like Bansi’s kids, Sumit and his siblings never got a chance to go to school. Apart from education, health is another concern for the craftsmen, given that they work with paint, plaster of paris and glitter all the time.
And they are constantly harassed by the local committee (MCG officials) to move the idols from one place to another. “Half the time, we are just moving the idols,” said Santosh, a 19-year-old girl who has been making idols since she was a child. “We have hidden a few also. But how do we expext to sell them, if we keep the idols hidden,” she added.