Indian festivals are incomplete without idols. However, this year, artisans in Kumartuli, the country’s only potter-colony nestled in the dinghy bylanes of north Kolkata, are jostling hard to complete orders. It’s a similar story in Mumbai.
Fifty-five-year-old Syamshree Pal is having sleepless nights. Over the next 40 days, he will have to finish 42 Durga idols — a task that seems nigh impossible, thanks to a severe labour shortage at Kumartuli.
It’s MNREGS that’s giving the potters a run for their money. “I have hired four labourers and pay them Rs 1,000 a day, including food and shelter. Last year, we paid around Rs 350 a day. Most labourers don’t come as they get 100-day jobs under the MNREGS scheme. Some also head for Mumbai and the South, where they get paid more,” a worried Pal explained.
A third-generation potter, Pal, is completely dependent on labourers, as his 26-year-old-son has opted for a more paying job.
The story is quite the same with other artisans in the dinghy bylanes of Kumartuli. Every artisan is now paying between Rs 7,00-1,000 a day compared to Rs 350-400 last year, a jump of 133-150 per cent.
“The labour shortage is as high as 40 per cent. Our production is getting seriously hampered and we have not been able to take more orders. We are worried whether artisans will be able to finish the existing orders. If someone was making 35 idols last year, he has only 20 projects this year,” said Nimai Chandra Pal, president, Kumartuli Mritshilpi Samiti.
The artisans haven’t been spared in Mumbai either, as the financial capital of the country braces itself for Ganesh Chaturthi, the biggest festival in the city. Girish Karbhau, a local sculptor busy giving final touches to Ganpati idols, says labour costs have increased by Rs 100. He complaints, “Labourers, who were earlier paid Rs 200, are now demanding Rs 300-350 a day. This is only for eight hours of work, with extra charges for overtime.” He added that several sculptors were saved from these costs as they had family members in the business, rather than outsiders.
As labour shortage grips Kumatuli, potters have hauled projects, and the number of idols churned out this year may be much less. Last year, Kumartuli had dispatched 4,000 idols. However, the number is slated to come down by a minimum 20 per cent this year, according to artisans’ figures.
High-priced eco-friendly idols, which have become the new mantra for buyers in Mumbai, are, in fact, pulling down sales. Says Sudarshan Gaikwad of Ganesha Arts, “This year, people want eco-friendly clay idols rather than the usual plaster of paris ones. Clay is more expensive and the idols are more delicate. We need to start at least by January for the eco-friendly ones, as around 50 such idols are possible in a day compared to just 3-4 clay idols in the same period.”
Adding to the woes is an increase in raw material prices and the inability to pass it on to the end consumers. Prices of raw materials such as bamboo, mirror, paints and pith have increased by 30 per cent from last year.
Adds Nimai Pal, “Nobody is trying to adjust the escalating costs we have to bear due to rise in the prices of raw materials, etc. For example, if an idol was sold for Rs 20,000 last year, it should be selling at Rs 26,000 this year, but the prices at which we are forced to sell is around Rs 22,000-24,000. So, the difference has to be borne by us.”
The artisans also express concerns about the increasing rent charged by the Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika. “Earlier, they used to charge around Rs 8,000 for renting out space. This year, we are paying on a per square foot basis, escalating costs to Rs 20,000-25,000,” says another artist. Also, rise in diesel prices is denting pockets, especially for sculptors who get unfinished idols from Pen taluka in Raigad district.
The overseas market could have provided some respite, but the slowdown has dashed those hopes as well. Idols travelling overseas fetch around Rs 1.5-2 lakhs.
“This year, I am supplying just two idols overseas, one to Cambridge and the other to Australia. Every year, I sell more, but this year orders are less. Margins have also declined by 15-20 per cent,” said Montu Pal, secretary, Kumartuli Mritshilpi Samiti, before heading to complete his 52-feet-high fibre glass idol, a first in India.
As Kumartuli comes to terms with a Mahisasur-like financial crisis, it appears nothing short of an intervention from Durga can bring back the excitement and euphoria among the artisans.
