Idolising The Idol Maker

Idolising The Idol Maker.... A tenure in the North Eastern parts of India for anyone from the mainland can be awe-inspiring in many ways. Apart from the professional challenges that this unique region offers, the breathtaking scenic beauty, the diversity of art, culture and traditions of the local Diaspora from one hill region to another are simply mesmerizing. Few may however be aware that the state of Tripura nurtures a hybridised culture of both, the plains and hills, coexisting peacefully in all their entirety.  While the eastern hill region hugging Mizoram has all the unique features of her other hill region siblings, the western plains along the border of Bangladesh has a typical Bengali flavour smeared all over it. I often felt my recent tenure at Agartala was similar to an extension area of the suburbs of Kolkata. Be it their language, culture, tradition, dressing or their food habits.... There is a lot of commonality with Bengal. Two things all Bengalis love without any exception are their roshagollas and Durga Puja celebrations.  The populace of Agartala is no different. The pomp, splendor and opulence of the Puja festivals are comparable to any city in West Bengal. Here, I don't intend to talk about the festival or the all pervading Majestic Durga idols per se,  which perhaps you may have seen, heard and read umpteen times. But it is about my tryst with that idol maker Ashun Chandra Pal, whom I began to idolise after a brief interaction I had with him a month prior to the Puja times. My first Durga Puja days at Agartala were spent in mostly Pandal hopping and trying to absorb the beauty and enormity of the festivities.  However as the celebrations reached their concluding crescendo, without me realising, I was looking beyond those idols, the cynosore of so many eyes ...  the man who actually  created them.  Who was he ? Where was he? It was a cool Sunday evening, may be perhaps about 3 -  4 weeks prior to the next Durga Puja frenzy. Since it had rained in the morning ...  and the Sun playing hide and seek with the few grey clouds around, it was a perfect time to go for the evening stroll after a sluggish Sunday morning.  In the course of my evening walk, as I was passing through a group of hutments on the outskirts of Agartala, I could spot some brisk activity of arranging the bamboos, mixing of clay, relocating some hay stacks here and there etc. Since it was unusual sight, I just happened to go a little closer to see what was happening.  Thus began my journey of knowing Ashun da.  Ashun da, a frail looking man in his late sixties with thick soda glass spectacles, in a soiled lungi and banian, was overseeing the setting up of his shed into a workshop for creation of the Puja idols. As I introduced myself to him and drew him into some conversation about his art, I must say he was impressed that someone of my status may be for the first time ever, visited his scanty shanty! A fifth generation artisan whose father migrated from Sylhet at the time of partition in 1947, it appeared to me that nothing significant had changed in his lifestyle.  As I asked him about his Puja idol creations, his eyes lit up instantly and with a broad grin on his face he brought a dilapidated photo album and showed me the pictures with great pride. He quickly asked one of the boys around to get a cup of tea for me. Flipping through his small postcard sized album, at one of the Pandal photos, I suddenly exclaimed, "Hey this is the Puja Pandal of Ambabadi football grounds erected last year" ! He in fact became extremely pleased that I, an outsider to Agartala, visiting the local Pandals for the first time could spot his creation so effortlessly. Needless to say his exuberance in interacting with me only grew manyfold and was more than keen to talk about his craft.  Seeing all the structures and other paraphernalia for idol making lying helter skelter in that makeshift workshop, I asked him, "How do you make all these idols of Durga family? Tell me something about it yourself."  Though his eyes lit upmomentarily, appreciating my curiosity to know about his craft, he suddenly went into a pensive mood and his eyes nearly swelled ...  "Saab, I'm in this field of idol making since my early childhood. My fore fathers from Sylhet, now settled here and my entire family is in this business of idol making. Year after year people those who come here are only those Pandal organisers to give their order, more and more work for less and less money with generous doze of urgency, audit and..  some outrageous words at times. This is such a divine art. While my idols when installed get so much of reverance, appreciations and adulations, can't they show some dignity towards us and respect our talent! “ Realising that he was going out of track, he suddenly sought my pardon and started explaining the nuances of making those idols and other decorative aspects. Although I was listening intently, my compassion for the old man was only increasing.  While talking about art of idol making, he appeared to be totally in command of the situation like a confident MC taking centre stage in a major event.  And why not ..  It was his craft which he knew like the back side of his palm. He pulled out a soiled slightly torn piece of paper from a nearby shelf which contained a rough sketch of how the idols and Pandal were to be created.  "Saab, this sketch in this piece of paper approved by the Puja organisers is our guide for creating these structures and idols".  As I sat savoring the cup of tea offered, he told me how he brought the right kind of bamboos for making those skeletal figures to begin with and tye those haystacks to the structure to give rough shape to the idol making process. He lamented on the difficulties of getting the 'entel mati' the sticky variety of clay from the river bed for giving idol shape to those bamboo - hay skeletons. It was indeed interesting to hear the complex procedure of mixing the clay with raw husk, cow dung, cow urine and water,  mix all in the right proportions, knead it into semi solid state so as to ensure that it gets the right adhesive consistency.  "Bele mati, the finer variety of clay is ofcourse used for giving finishing touches", he told me to make sure that I understood the difference between the two types of clay being used.  As he began to explain further, suddenly he recollected something and in all the excitement he told me, " Saab do you know..  In Kolkata, these kumors or the artisans making these idols are supposed to go to the Sonagachi sex workers’ houses to collect the ‘punya mati’ from their premises and mix it with other clay" As I expressed surprise to what he was telling," Yes it is an age old tradition to do so...  then only the clay is sanctified for idol making. Otherwise no." I felt quite amused.  Throughout the year these sex workers are looked down upon. Now, on the eve of Durga Puja,  everyone looks up to them. The Puja process can't even begin without their handful contribution of household dust !  May be, I thought this was the way the all encompassing Goddess wanted everyone to respect these courtesans from the ‘Nishiddho Pallis’ or the forbidden territories, and involve them in the main stream religious activities. Before I could ask him how he collected the punya mati in Agartala, he was distracted by one assistant  lighting a bidi near the hay stack and yelled at him to go away. As I looked in that direction, slightly further ahead, there were some fresh idols kept for drying in the Sun. A boy was urinating couple of feet away. No one really noticed or bothered. After all those were mere idols now. They would get the sanctity of Goddess only after installation in the Pandals and only on the appointed day when Puja rituals began !!!  As Ashun da continued telling me how intricate it was to paint the eyes or the process of  ‘choke Sudan’ as they call it, to bring out the right expression, I too lost track about that punya mati issue of Agartala. As he talked about painting and decorating his idols, again he got into pensive mood, looking towards the sky, he choked while telling how those paisewale often paid him a few thousand rupees and take away all his creations. They would install them in the Pandals which would see many thousands of footfalls everyday and managed tocollect lakhs of rupees in offerings and contributions. "Hum vahee ke vahee rah gaye saab...  They won't even recognise us when we go to the Pandals to offer our prayers on the Puja days." My eyes swelled as I heard this. In whatever he did, his dedication to his skill and devotion to Maa Durga was ever so evident. It was getting a little dark. I realised I had to trace back all the steps quickly to reach my home safely. I just hugged him and thanked him profusely for telling me about his life and his cherished craft. As I walked back, I could recollect in my mind the chantings of the devotees at the time of Durga puja idol immersion...   "Aaschhe bochor abaar hobey" assuring themselves, this Puja celebrations will happen again next year. I silently prayed to Durga Maa, the next Aaschhe bochor, may Ashun da earn much more than what he got this year. I had read somewhere, God creates man and man creates God. Somewhere deep in my heart, this idol maker became my idol in more ways than one.                                     *****************************