West Bengal artisans raise bar for D’gere’s Ganesha idol makers

Davanagere: With the Ganesha festival approaching, a team of five artisans from West Bengal is busy giving final touches to idols of Lord Ganesha at a makeshift shed on a vacant site on Shamanur Road in the city. However, the local artisans are of the view that the West Bengali craftsmen have stepped up the competition with the locals to new heights.Local craftsmen said that artisans from West Bengal do brisk business during the festive season in a few months, as they get a large number of orders from local associations for giant Ganesha idols. With youth associations increasingly preferring larger Ganesha idols, traditional artisans in Davanagere have decided to step up their game by making giant idols measuring over 10 feet from next year. They are now gearing up to compete with the idol makers from West Bengal.Kakatives Ganesh Utsav Mandal in Belagavi offers idols at no profitSpeaking to DH, Shiva Kumar, a traditional idol maker from Bharat colony in Davangere, said: “I have got only five orders so far this year compared with last year’s 25. I feel many youths are placing orders with idol makers from West Bengal as they are known for making giant idols in unique postures. Therefore, I have decided to make larger idols from next year by setting up sheds in the area.”Large Ganesha idols made by artisans from West Bengal await final touches at a shed on Shamanur Road in Davangere. dh photosShiva Kumar further explained that his family has been making Ganesha idols for several years. “This year, we have made around 25 idols of different sizes. We do not make much money from smaller idols. Larger idols fetch better prices and help the family earn more. Hence, we have decided to invest money in making bigger idols from next year,” he added.Speaking to DH, Bidan Bhattacharya, an artisan from West Bengal, said, “We have got 30 orders from various pandal committees for this year. We make idols according to the customers’ requirements. The smallest idol measures around five feet, and the price ranges from Rs 15,000 to Rs 80,000 depending on the size and design,” he saidHe also noted that the Ganesha festival is celebrated on a much larger scale in Karnataka than in West Bengal. Therefore, artisans from West Bengal come here every year. “Artisans from West Bengal are also working in Chitradurga, Ballari, Hosapete and Hubballi,” Bidan explained..He added that the language barrier remained a challenge for the artisans as they did not know Kannada.Pramod K V, a member of Swastik Friends Group, told DH: “We have been buying Ganesha idols from idol makers of West Bengal for several years. Though they use clay, their idols are not very heavy and are easy to carry. The lightweight idols make immersion much easier. Besides, they are known for making giant idols, while local idol makers make smaller ones,” he added.

Source: Deccan Herald