Kumartuli artisans work overtime to finish Kali idols

Kolkata: Heavy rain that lashed Kolkata in the aftermath of cyclone Dana has thrown a spanner in the works at Kumartuli, where idol makers are racing against time to finish crafting of idols before Kali puja. They are a worried lot as the festival is barely a few days away.
What worries them the most is whether they will be able to deliver the idols to the puja committees and other organizers before the festival. The inclement weather following the cyclone — that made landfall in the neighbouring Odisha past midnight on Thursday — has been a major hindrance to their work.
“Cyclone Dana caught us completely off guard. We were already working extra hours to meet the deadline. Now, with work stopping for almost two days due to the cyclone and subsequent rain, we do not know how we will finish the work on time,” said Mala Pal, an idol-maker in Kumartuli.
Even as the idol-makers had little time to take precautionary measures, they did their best to protect their ‘hard work’ from getting washed away. They fortified their workshops to prevent seepage of water, draped idols and raw materials in plastic, and fastened the idols with heavy objects to provide stability and minimise the risk of damage from powerful gusts. Many potters also shifted finished idols to warehouses and studios.
Like all other artisans, Prodyut Pal had also taken steps to prevent seepage of water inside his studio.“The idols, which were kept in the open for drying, have been moved inside the studio. We have wrapped those with plastic,”said Pal.
This is not the first time this year that the weather gods forced idol-makers to change their plans and speed up work after delays caused by the elements.
A few weeks ago, there were at least four phases of heavy rain, forcing them to resort to several arrangements. “This not only causes significant delays and loss of man-hours but also increases the cost, making the business unviable,” said Kartik Pal of Kumartuli Mritshilpi Sanskritik Samiti.