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.
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Hatsoff 2 ur observation
ReplyDeleteHatsoff 2 ur observation
ReplyDeleteThank you Aparna ...
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