There are stories we keep hearing about the creation of man
and then there are the stories about the creation of the Gods and the
Goddesses . When you visit the potter’s
town better known as Kumartuli in Kolkata the first reaction is sheer
bewilderment at the long rows of large
clay statues that line up the mud studios of the alleys and by-lanes in the
small area of North Kolkata . Visiting the
Kumartuli on Mahalaya might be a ritual for many but it was a first time for
us. Apprehensive and uncertain about the rush ( having started our journey
quite late) our only hopes comprised of
getting to witness the beautiful occasion of ‘chokkhudaan’ and some good
snapshots. While attempting to get some shots in one of the initial studios we
suddenly overheard another tourist mumbling about ‘chokkhudaan’ taking place in
one of the studios. Walking a little ahead we saw a huge crowd of heads and an
artist carefully etching the pupil of the Godess’ eyes. Despite the chatters
and whispers , the artist continued his work with professional indifference. As
we proceeded, all we saw were heads of photographers mingled with the heads of
the bald statues of Ma Durga who had not yet had the fortune of being dressed
in loose strands of false hair (and not wigs, mind you!). Soon we decided to
take the narrower lanes to avoid the rush in order to get a closer look at the smaller
studios and that is when we witnessed the disturbing art of hair styling for
the Goddess. The craftsman all focused and unperturbed continued to snap out loose
strands of false curly black that stuck to sheets of cardboards and stick them
behind Her ears with fevicol rapidly in order to meet the deadline. While my
friend is all disappointed at this anti-climactic adorning of the Goddess, I
see a kitten rushing past as if in an attempt to escape both the human and the
divine world .
On a day
like this it is quite surprising to see that amidst the daily struggle of an
impoverished life that leaves them with the pressure of meeting deadlines in order
to earn atleast twice a meal a day ,they have already ensured that most idols
are completely decked up and ready to be taken for the Pujo . While some
tourists had clearly come down from the
foreign shores to witness the spectacle of Pujo in the City of Joy , some visitors were in a rush to take the
Goddess home on this very day. At one of the crossroads , a group of men were
busy rotating one idol to prepare it for its journey and at another an old
artisan was busy lending the final touch to the arms of the Goddess.
As one
keeps walking it becomes really hard to decide which way you should fix your
gaze since there is something new happening in each direction. Even when you
are surrounded by idols on every side there is something different about each
of them. There is the Egyptian version of Godess Durga and her daughters on one
side and an angry Mahishashur’s idol sticking out of the plastic curtains of a
studio on another side. At some of the turns you might find the road cluttered
with crafts tools making the whole area look like a huge class of art and
crafts in some divine school and at other bends you might chance upon a clay
tail of a Lion sticking out. Amidst all
this there were two little kids in one of the potter’s houses of whom the older
sister was busy scraping a coconut while her baby brother decided to pose with
one when I asked if I could take a snap . A fifteen minutes walk through these
lanes and we ended up crossing a rail track and realizing that we have the vast
Hooghly before us where semi clad men were busy praying to their ancestors on
this auspicious day. Sitting on the river banks for a couple of minutes with
the wind blowing against your face is perhaps the best natural cooler you could
ask for after walking around under the sun on a sultry day. Just before we left Kumartuli we passed a man
carrying the idol on his head who was generous enough to stop and smile posing
with the tiny idol ,not caring a wee bit about the weight and we were obliged
with his photo with the Goddess. We ended the day’s trip after visiting the
Sovabazar Rajbari where 4 idols of the Goddess with Her family lay await to be
unveiled after five days.
Once done, you
realize that while the whole city gears up to celebrate the Goddess in Her most
beautiful attire on these days, the artisans and sculptors behind the scenes
hardly ever get their due leave alone experiencing the joys of celebration.
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