In the service of god

CRAFT: Burdened by sharply rising input costs, the idol makers of Kumartuli face a grim future.

The craft of the clay-idol makers of Kumartuli stands at the crossroads of religion, art and commerce. It is in this small neighbourhood in north Kolkata that thousands of idols of Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Ganesh, and other deities are made for the faithful.

The art provides livelihood for about 250 artisans and 2,000 labourers, besides supporting a vast network of ancillary businesses which supply the accoutrements. But life has been tough for the denizens of Kumartuli this year "" tougher than the years before.

"The prices of clay and hay (the basic ingredients of the Kumartuli artisans) have risen by more than a third this year," says Nemai Pal, president of the Kumartuli Mritshilpo Sanskritik Samiti.

The idol-makers use etel mati, a kind of moist clay that is found on the banks of the Ganga. Traditionally, it was sourced from the areas of Uluberia, Budge Budge and Diamond Harbour.

But in recent years, the changing course of the river in this part has raised local opposition to the mining of clay. Also, the boats used to transport the clay are not allowed to drop anchor on the banks during the peak-season from March to July, because the shoals are used to farm prawns.

Consequently, price of a tonne of etel mati has gone up from Rs 450 to Rs 750. As for hay, eight bundles, which cost Rs 90 last year, now carry a price-tag of Rs 150. Wood, used to make the frame for the idols, is dearer by Rs 2.25 a foot.

The trouble is, the artisans have not been able to pass on the higher input costs to their customers. Average prices for a 10-ft paanch chala(five separate) deity have gone up by as little as Rs 2,000-5,000 over last year's prices of Rs 25,000-30,000.

Worse, most clients do not pay an advance, which means most of the working capital needs to be raised through loans. Two public-sector banks "" State Bank of India and United Bank of India "" provide term loans of up to Rs 2 lakh at 8.5-9.5 per cent.

But, more often than not, the artisans are unable to repay the loans and are compelled to approach local mahajans (moneylenders), who charge 4-10 per cent monthly interest. Says Pal: "I pay Rs 60,000-65,000 only as interest every year, and there are people who pay far more."

Bhabesh Pal, the president of the other artisans' grouping, Kumartuli Mritshilpa Samiti, says, "If you average out all the debt, each artisan must have total borrowings of Rs 1-1.5 lakh." No wonder, such few younger Kumartuli residents are taking up the craft of their forefathers.

In fact, such is the general distress that the artisans say they will not be able to contribute to the ambitious Kumartuli revamp project, taken up by the National Urban Renewal Mission, in collaboration with the municipal and metropolitan authorities.

"It seems we will have to pay Rs 30,000 per person for the residences upgrade and Rs 1,00,000 for the studios. Where are we to get the money?" asks Nemai Pal.

While Bhupesh Pal warns of the death of Kumartuli "in the next five years, if nothing is done", the Durga Puja peak time around the corner may provide some respite to these artisans in the service of god.