Many of the idol artisans in the country are abandoning the noble and traditional profession due to lack of patronisation and financial crisis, observed participants at a reception ceremony in Barisal yesterday.
Due to lack of economic and institutional support, this age-old art was now under threat of extinction, they noted.
The fifth annual reception programme honoured idol artisans of the country, popularly known as “Pal” and “Kumar,” on the eve of “Sharodiyo Durgotshob,” the biggest religious festival of the Hindus in the country.
Mritshilpi Sammelon O Sanmanona Udjapon Parshad of Barisal organised the programme at Aswini Kumar Hall in the city.
Nikhil Sen, cultural activist, presided over the ceremony while Associate Editor of the Bengali daily Samakal, attended the programme as the chief guest.
Crest, money, clothes and sweetmeats were distributed among 116 Pals and Kumars including seven female artisans who came from different upazilas under Barisal district.
Bula Rani Pal from Goila, Barisal and Uttam Pal from Jhalakathi, were awarded special honour for their achievements in the field.
For over hundred years, the Pals and Kumars had nurtured this heritage of idol making, despite absence of any government recognition of the profession, said the speakers.
The artisans suffer an acute economic crisis throughout the year, they mentioned.
The idol artisans observed that the main religious festival of the Bengali Hindus, could be successfully celebrated because of their labour. However, unfortunately those who were at the end of the creations had to return home with a negligible amount of honorarium and pass rest of the year in hardship after the festivity was over, they claimed.
Moreover, the idol artisans are not socially recognised for their job, noted the artisans and speakers.
A team of five-six artisans need 17-21 days for making a large sized “protima” (sculpture of a deity), while for the smaller ones they need 13-17 days, highlighted the artisans.
For making the idols each team is paid Tk25000 to Tk50000 ahead of the festival and accommodation and food are usually provided by the Puja Mandop Committee, they added.
The five-day Sharodiyo Durgotshob commenced on Thursday.
More than 500 puja-mandaps (alter) of the district including 33 in the city have been decorated with colour and lightning. The festivities would end with immersion of the idols and images of the deities in different rivers and canals amid exchange of greetings of ‘Bijoya Dashami’ on October 14, a government holiday close to Eid-ul-Azha festival of the Muslims this year.
