Making sculptors to earn a livelihood

kanpur: making lifesize sculptors of deities is an art form but most importantly a means for livelihood for 38-year-old a k chakraborty. a 'refugee' by way of family ties to bangladesh, he learnt the art of sculpting from his ancestors. now his fingers spoke of his craft. however, there lurked a certain tedium with his line of calling also. he infact did not want his children to follow after him in his chosen profession.changing lifestyles and consequent traditions had dealt a death blow to the art form, he said. chakraborty had eight members in his family. these included his wife, two sons, mother and three brothers who were solely dependent upon him. fending for them was a tall task for a k. he could hardly earn enough for two square meals a day for his family. a k left bangaladesh in 1964 when he was just a year old along with his family following the war. he arrived in india during the regime of the then prime minister indira gandhi. the government shifted the bangla refugees to madhya pradesh and later, in 1980 he came to kanpur. unable to get any other work, he opted for sculpting as a profession for his livelihood. talking to the times of india, he said that he had been making sculptures of different deities for the last two decades along with his brothers and wife. although he made sculptures throughout the year, yet the demand for colossal statues of goddess durga, kali, saraswati, hanuman and ganesh, rose during 'durgapuja' or 'navratra'. these sculptors were being sold at the rate of rs 2,000 to rs 5,000 each depending upon the shape and size of the statutes. elaborating on his craft, he said, "the internal structure of the colossal statues are made in the form of an effigy with paddy and later these structures are wrapped in black mud." "it takes 10 to 20 days to make a five-feet tall, life-size statue. after completing the initial structures of these sculptures, i myself decorate the statues with colours. however, the final round of finishing touches takes about three to four days," he said. keeping in mind the rush during the festive season, he also called other idol makers from outside the state to assist him. these colossal statues were purchased by people not only from the city but also from nearby districts. expressing sadness, he said that his art was destined to ruin as people were no longer as enthusiastic in the purchase of these statues due to changing times. another idol maker kirpa, who recently came from west bengal to the city to make sculptures, said he had come to the city only because of the forthcoming 'navratra' and 'dugrapuja' season. he had four members in his family including his wife and two sons. he pointed out that making idols was not an thing. it took a lot of concentration and hard work for several hours a day, he said. he too resented the fact that the government had so far come forward with no help in support of this art.