Montu Chandra Pal began making idols by assisting his father from the age of 15. He became fully engaged in the profession by the age of 20.
Now 80 years old, he is still holding on to the profession passed on by his father and grandfather despite the steadily dropping profits.
Montu Chandra Pal lives in Bhatshala union of Sherpur Sadar upazila and was recently seen crafting new idols using mud and paint, considering as part of the last moment preparations for Durga Puja being celebrated across Bangladesh.
Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of traditional religions, will begin on October 1 so Montu Chandra Pal and his family are busy with the preparations.
Montu Pal said: "I sculpt idols out of sheer joy. But now I can no longer work like I used to be able to. Meanwhile, the cost of making idols has also increased, but the price of the idol remains the same as before. So the profit margin has dropped for me. But at this age I can’t do anything else either.”
His daughter-in-law Rekha Rani Pal said: “We try to work like him but the price of everything in the market is high now thereby making it difficult to earn a living by doing this work. Government support would help.”
Other artisans in Sherpur have the same complaint. They said that although the prices of materials, including bamboo, straw and soil, have increased, the wages have not.
However, they are continuing with this line of work to maintain their generational profession.
Aditya Kumar Pal, an idol sculptor said: "We have been doing this work for a long time. The price of everything in the market is high. The amount at which we used to make idols earlier are still being done at the same rate but the prices of everything in the market has increased. No one is considering that.”
According to the district puja celebration council sources, Durga Puja has been organized in 155 pavilions in Sherpur this year.
Of them, 69 are in Sherpur Sadar, 36 in Nalitabari, 21 in Nakla, 19 in Jhenaigati and 10 in Sreebardi upazila.
