The potters and idol makers of various upazilas of Chalan Beel region are spending busy time around the upcoming Durga Puja. Various idols including Goddess Durga are made by skillful hands with straw, wood, yarn and clay. As the puja approaches, the busyness of artists increases. However, the price of the idol has not increased even though the price of the material for making the idol has increased.
Tarash Upazila Awami League General Secretary Sanjit Karmakar said that their big religious festival is Autumn Durga Puja. The main ceremony of Durga Puja will begin on the 1st of October with Shashti Puja. As such, the Durgotsavam will end with Vijaya Dasami on October 4.
This year, Goddess Durga will arrive in Gaj (elephant), will go on a boat. With the arrival of the goddess, the world will be peaceful, they hope that the evil energy will be destroyed and the good energy will rise.
Various pottery villages of Chalan Beel have been visited, the grand work of making idols is going on in the areas. It is as if the artists who make the idols are working day and night to meet the demands. Along with the men, the women artists of the house are also helping in making the idols. Some are making the frame of the idol with straw, wood, thread; some are making Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati idols with skillful hands. After making the structure of the statue, now the main work of making the statue is going on. After a few weeks, the work of painting the statue will begin.
Kalu Chandra Pal, an idol maker of Salanganga Palpara and Ranjit Pal of Dhangarh said that with the evolution of time, earthenware is no longer used as before. So we have to spend a lot of free time throughout the year. Before Durga Puja, the money earned by making idols is used to run the family for the whole year. Nevertheless, over the last few years the cost of all the materials used in making idols has increased at an extraordinary rate.
However, buyers are not increasing the price of idols. We are not getting the money we are supposed to earn. They said that around 500 to 1500 idols are being made in Palpara of different upazilas of Chalan Beel region. These idols will go to different districts of North Bengal to meet the demand of Chalan Beel region. Each idol is being sold for 30 thousand, 50 thousand to 1 lakh taka.
Rajat Ghosh, president of Tarash Upazila Puja Celebration Parishad, said that autumn Durga Puja will be held in 44 puja halls of the upazila this year. All preparations are being completed in the puja Mandaps to make this year's Durga Puja festive.
