Rath Para activity peaks in run-up to festival

Time of India

4 hours ago

Kolkata: Digambar Malik, 57, is very busy these days. His smartphone keeps buzzing as he answers calls from Rathyatra organisers from traditional homes and clubs, asking for updates on the progress of work and the date of delivery.
Between calls, Malik and his team create three-dimensional chariots out of split bamboo or cane from hand-drawn sketches on the streets.
For Malik and 40 others like him from Ramesh Chandra Dutta Street off Girish Park metro station and Liberty cinema hall — prominently known as Rath Para — this is the busiest season before the all-important Durga Puja. The artisans together supply around 800 chariots and their accessories to homes and clubs across Bengal.
"Big raths are usually ordered by Jagannath temples and various clubs. We just delivered one chariot to Chinsurah. There's been a sharp rise in demand for designer chariots this year from areas like Serampore and Uttarpara," said Malik. While the small ones come within the price range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000, the bigger ones cost around Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000.
"The orders have peaked in the last two years. There was a slump in demand during the Covid years, but the situation seems to have changed in the last two years.
This year, the orders have doubled, and almost all 40 artisans out here are making anything between 20 to 25 chariots this year," said Boikuntho Majhi, another artisan, who is in this profession since Class 6.
What has made Rath Para more popular this year is a group of young members in the family of the artisans who have turned into social media content creators. They have been making reels and videos of the para and the process of construction.
"I made a video on my own neighbourhood showcasing our artisans in 2022, which gained immense traction. Eventually, creators started noticing this place, and they began shooting vlogs and making reels. Many such videos have gone viral. The demand has also shot up," said Abhishek Ghati, a content creator from the area.
Biswanath Maity, another artisan, acknowledged the social media presence leading to a rise in orders.
"There's been a good demand this year with more people discovering the rath bazaar through social media and influencers. It feels nice," he said.
Equally busy are 35 artisans at Canal South Road in north Kolkata, known as the hub of smaller chariots that kids in every household love to pull. The prices range from Rs 50 to Rs 150 in the wholesale market.
There are artisans like Prasenjit Saha, who make and sell fancy chariots priced at anything between Rs 650 to Rs 950. These are sold at anything between Rs 900 to Rs 1,500 in the retail market.