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North Bengal artisans face hurdles

KONGKON KARMAKER, Dinajpur
Though the idol-makers in the country are now busy, a few weeks ahead of Durga Puja (largest Hindu festival in Bengal), the 20,000 artisan families of northern Bangladesh complain that they basically remain jobless throughout the year.
Disheartened by the bleak conditions, many idolmakers of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Joypurhat, Nilphamari and Naogaon are contemplating giving up their ancestral profession.
Discouraging factors are: rising prices of raw materials, greedy middlemen and lack of prospect for over eight months every year.
The ray of hope in their lives each year is Durga Puja. Setting aside their woes and troubles, they get busy moulding idols of the goddess; this is the major source of their income. Interestingly, the goddess is also referred to as the "Durgatinashini" (one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress). Seemingly, Durga lives up to her name.
According to historians and puja organisers, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Joypurhat, Naogaon and Nilphamari have been renowned for the local idolmakers for centuries.
“We have to rely on mid-
dlemen, who take away the major, share .of the. .profit. They have all the contacts and information on the buyers. We never receive fair prices for our labour," said an artisan of Sri Krishnapur village, under Biral upazila of Dinajpur district.
According to the artisans, each year they roughly earn Tk 20,000 to 50,000, and it's
nowhere near enough to . sustain their families.
A disgruntled . Naxqyan, Chandra Pa) of Biral upazila was moulding the goddess' fingers from a mound of clay. Narayan said, "This art form is dead. We barely make any money. The only reason we're still doing it is because we have no other skill.”
“Hay, bamboo, wood, rope
and nails have all become expensive. So there is little profit to be made,” he explained.
Sources said that the price of raw materials has gone up by about 25-30 per cent but buyers and puja organisers are not willing to pay more for the idols.
Narayan told The Daily Star dial this year he is making idols for three puja organisers. He estimated that he would earn around Tk 1,00,000. But 50 percent of his earning will go into labour cost.
Besides, an idol-maker's profession is a seasonal one. Durga Puja is at the centre of a cluster of religious events on the almanac --Viswakarma, Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati are the other deities whose idols are created in this season for puja that span from September to January.
"There is no income during the rest of the year," Narayan pointed out.
The dilemma does not end there. Offspring of the idolmakers are gradually adopting other professions, due.to lack of prospect in the profession.
Some artisans fear that with the passing away of veteran idol-makers, there will be no one left to make Durga idols.
Most idol-makers living in rural areas are illiterate, and have taken up pottery to supplement their income.