Battling rain, labour shortage and costlier raw materials, it’s a race against time for artisans in Kumartuli, the hub of clay idol-makers in Kolkata, who are rushing to complete orders for the upcoming festive season.
According to idol-makers, there’s an acute shoratge of labour in Kumartuli and the crisis has pushed labour costs by at least 20 per cent. Famous idol-maker and joint secretary of Kumartuli Mritshilpa Sanskriti Samity Babu said due to the scarcity of labour, he was trying to complete 37 idols with a team of just 10 labourers.
‘I had to start work earlier this year as it would take more time to complete the idols with a reduced number of labours. Under normal circumstances, I work with 20 to 25 labourers,’ said Pal.
In a narrow lane of Banamali Sarkar Lane in Kumartuli, a large number of artists are rushing to complete work before the Durga Puja. Another idol-maker Mintu Paul said the artisans are in a fix whether to bear the losses or increase the prices of idols. ‘This year, we had to spend more on labour costs and raw materials. As a result, the cost of making the idols increased by at least 40 per cent,’ said Pal.
According to him, the cost of raw materials required for fibreglass Durga idols, which are much sought after by NRIs, has swelled up by about 30 per cent this year. An idol sold for Rs 1 lakh to overseas buyers last year has fetched Rs 1.5 lakh this time, but the profit margin remained unchanged, artisans say.
To cope up with the crisis, artisans are working day and night to wrap up work. Another problem that they are facing is the heavy rainfall that the state capital has been receiving over the past few days. Due to the downpour, the clay idols are taking longer to dry up. While some artisans are working under sheets of tarpaulins for extra cover, others are hiring more labour to complete pending orders.
