Kolkata: Rain spells trouble for Kumartuli idol-makers ahead of festive season

KOLKATA: Unpredictable spells of rain have thrown a spanner in the works at Kumartuli, the artisan's enclave in north Kolkata. Artistes there have started working on idols of various deities in the run-up to the festive season set to begin next month with Ganesh Puja and Vishwakarma Puja. The heavy rain on Friday had left the pocket waterlogged, forcing several idol-makers to move indoors with their incomplete work. Many have even hired blow torches, pedestal fans and fire ovens to dry up the clay models. Several clay model makers at Kumartuli also take up contracts for Durga idols from organisers abroad, which they must dispatch at least a month before the festival begins. "It has not been raining regularly this season, but the showers are unpredictable. As a result, we are unable to keep the models out in the open to dry. Since the delivery of the idols has to start soon, we need to finish work. The frequent spells of rain are not helping," said Kartik Pal of Kumartuli Mritshilpi Sanskritik Samity. There are over 500 idol-makers in Kumartuli who hire thousands of workers during the festive season. Most of them work on the idols out in the open. To protect themselves and their products from water, most have set up canopies of plastic sheets to avoid getting drenched by rain. Several idol-makers have arranged for blow torches, pedestal fans and ovens to dry the clay models as quickly as possible so that they can move on to the next stage - embellishing the idols."All these have increa-sed the cost, but we do not have any other option if we want to finish the work on time," said another idol-maker in Kumartuli.