Kumartuli artisans are struggling in the aftermath of the panchayat polls as a significant number of workers have not returned yet from their homes because of political strife and uncertainty.
Several artisans said they had started preliminary work on idols of Lakshmi and Kali — before switching to Durga idols full-time — and the shortage of workers was hitting them hard.
While leaving on July 6 — two days ahead of the rural polls on July 8 — almost all these workers from parts of Nadia, Murshidabad and the North and South 24-Parganas had said they would be back by Sunday (July 9).
Artisans said they had drawn up their plans accordingly, keeping in mind the specific skill sets of these people. With no wordyet, the idol-makers are worried. Delay in turning up for work now would mean paying overtime charges later, they said.
“The rate for skilled labourers varies between Rs 500 and 1,000 a day and the overtime is one-and-a-half times the day’s wage. That’s quite an amount if you have to work with at least five skilled personnel for the next three months,” said Kali Charan Pal, a veteran artisan.
“A day’s delay now can be crucial. Some of the skilled hands -- apart from the labourers — would soon be leaving for places like Pune and Mumbai to make Ganesh idols and there will be a shortage of good hands,” Pal added.
A majority of the 360-odd idol makers in Kumartuli have already started working on Lakshmi and Kali idols so they don’t struggle with orders after Durga Puja.
“The plan is to finish the idols of Lakshmi and Kali, wrap them in plastic covers and store them in shelves atop workshops. This work has to be completed as early as possible before taking up Durga idols,” said Mrinmoy Pal, another artisan. “The number of idols that can be finished early is directly proportional to the number of hands that have been engaged.”
A section of labourers who left for their homes ahead of the panchayat polls has informed their employers they will be late.
They have said that the possibility and the apprehensions of violence post-poll have forced them to stay back. Many others have not even called up.
“I’m fortunate some of my labourers returned on Wednesday. Others have not yet informed,” said China Pal, one of the few woman idol makers in Kumartuli who has bagged orders from Delhi, Surat and Mumbai apart from ones closer home.
“Orders have been pouring in this time and the trend is encouraging,” she said.
Labourers from the districts come with their own set of specialisations.
“There are sets of workers from Nadia who specialise in lifting mud from the Hooghly before beating it into fine layers. A separate set is skilled in creating the wooden structures to mount the idols,” said Kali Charan.
The political unrest has also hit supplies from the districts, like bamboo, shola pith, wooden logs and fine-quality soil that is used on the final layer of the clay idol.
Boats carrying this fine soil would be reaching Sovabazar and adjoining ghats by this time from parts of Murshidabad and South 24-Parganas. The last week and a half have not seen any of the boats reaching the city, artisans said.