Ironically, scores of Ganesh idol makers in Jajpur district are languishing in penury though they are making images of a God who stands for wisdom, wealth and prosperity.
As thousands of devotees prepare to conduct the Ganesh Puja on September 5, the artisans at Kumbharsahii village, 5 km from here, are busy giving finishing touches to the idols. Many illiterate and poor artisans are making the images of the God of knowledge and good fortune as their parents could not afford to provide them education.
Not many in the district and its nearby areas, who celebrate the festival with devotion, know that the beautifully crafted idols come from a nondescript village where about 40 families, including men, women and children, contribute their mite to the making of the idols during the sundry festival seasons.
Raghu Behera (50), a sculptor, said they make about 400 images of Ganesh every year. These were sold in the district and other areas of the State. He said five years ago, all the artisans were making clay idols. But at present, they have graduated to using plaster of Paris with jute to make terracotta idols. The process is more complicated and labour intensive compared to the traditional style of idol making with clay.
“We earn about Rs 4,000 to make a 5 feet high image of deity Ganesh. At least five potters work ten days to create the earthen image. My 10- year-old son Gourang is also giving me a helping hand to make the images,” said artisan Manoj Behera.
“We supply the images of lord Ganesh to almost all the schools, colleges and other educational institutions. But our children never go to the schools for reading,” stated Gadadhar Behera (54).
The new techniques give the idols a better finish and increases durability. The work often gets divided and sub-divided among the families with each member specialising in a particular aspect, he informed.
Another artisan, Dibakar Behera (35), who became an expert idol maker at the age of 17, said that it is a boom time during each festival season. Sidelined by the cheap plastic idols and due to lack of monetary support, the age old craft is fighting for survival, he lamented.
The bright colours and sparkle of the decorations of the idols hide the abject poverty of the artisans. Artisan Manas Behera (28) said even though the entire family are engaged in idol making, it is hard to make ends meet.
The artisans do not get any financial assistance from the Government. Since idol making is a seasonal activity, banks shy away from lending them the required funds. The only recourse left is to borrow from the money lenders at high interest rate up to 50 to 60 per cent, alleged Madanmohan Behera (45).
“Once the festival is over, most of us are rendered jobless till the next festivals. But a few potters eke out their livings by making earthen pots and other items. Three decades back, a large number of people used to depend on earthen pots for cooking and keeping water in their homes. But now-a-days few people use the earthen items for their household purposes,” said Rama Behera.
“We take great care to make the eco-friendly idols as perfect as possible knowing fully well that after the Puja celebration, idols are destined to be immersed in the rivers,” said Manas Behera.