Ganpati idol-makers, puja organisers caught in rain-shine hide-&-seek
In Kumartuli, rows of unfinished Ganesh idols stood under makeshift canopies of plastic sheets. Artisans rushed to drag them indoors whenever the sky turned dark. The alternating spells of rain and sunshine slowed down the critical stages of drying, painting, and ornamenting of the idols. Some of the big organisers had wanted the idols to be handed over by Sunday.
"The festival is only a week away but the rain and sun hide-and-seek has made things difficult.
When we keep the idols in the sun, it starts raining. We have to rush them indoors. The delay in drying the clay idols will result in a delay in painting and accessorising them," said Kartik Pal, an idol-maker in Kumartuli.
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More than 1,000 Ganesh idols are expected to be supplied from Kumartuli and other potters' enclaves in the city. Many of these idols are bound for community pujas organised by local clubs in neighbourhoods like Burrabazar, Lake Town, Salt Lake, New Town, Jadavpur, and Behala.
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Puja committees are equally anxious. "We are keeping a constant eye on the sky. The pandal work is going on, but rain at odd hours is delaying carpentry and decoration. Waterproofing has added to the financial burden," said Anil Singh, secretary of a Ganesh Puja committee on Tara Chand Dutta Lane. Many organisers have covered the pandal area with plastic sheets.
Organisers of the South Kolkata Ganesh Puja Committee in Dhakuria said they have shifted artwork and other preparations indoors.
"We had hoped for at least a week of dry weather before the festival. But every day the showers return. We have shifted artwork indoors," said Ahana Das, treasurer of the puja committee.
Despite the challenges, both idol-makers and puja committees are determined to deliver on schedule. Workers in Kumartuli continue shaping, painting, and covering idols under tarpaulin shelters, while organisers have been trying to wrap up pandal work during dry spells. "We are using fans and blow torches to dry the idols," said an idol-maker.
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