Bengal: Theme-based Durga idol orders slump after “requests” from BJP, Hindu rights groups

Orders for theme-based idols of Goddess Durga have dropped sharply this year at Kumartuli, the hub of Kolkata’s idol makers, after the BJP government and Hindu rights organisations called for a return to the traditional form of the deity.

“Artisans at Kumartuli moulded around 7,000–7,500 idols, including small ones up to 12 feet tall, of the Mother Goddess. Around 100 – 150 of them were theme-based idols. The rest were the traditional forms of the Goddess. This year, however, not more than 10 such theme-based idols are being crafted. The orders for such idols have dropped drastically this year,” said Babu Pal, secretary of the Kumartuly Mritsilpa Sanskrity Samity, representing the traditional clay idol makers.

“The two forms – theme-based and the traditional (sabeki) – are vastly different. In the theme-based idols, the workload is more and there is more scope for the artisan to show his craftsmanship. The traditional design on the other hand follows the scriptural rules and a set format over decades,” said an artisan who is making 12 big idols this year.

The traditional idols strictly adhere to the scriptural rules regarding the Goddess’ posture, facial expressions, colour, weapons and ten arms. Theme-based idols deviate from the scriptural rules; artists design them according to a specific theme, changing the posture, expression and portraying the Goddess and her entourage in different settings – to many, this was an example of artistry and of creative interpretation.

Durga Puja, which continues for five days, is the biggest festival in West Bengal. Around 3000 pujas are held in Kolkata by community clubs and around 42,000 pujas are organised across the state. This is in addition to pujas held at homes, apartment complexes and smaller clubs.

UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its 2021 list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, giving it international recognition. In 2018, the economy of the creative industries associated with the Durga Puja was pegged at ₹32,377 crore in a study conducted by the British Council, IIT Kharagpur and Queen Mary University in the UK. The study was commissioned by the state government.

The plunge in demand for creative idols came after the new BJP-government in the state and Hindu rights organisations requested puja committees to revert to the classical idol form and issued guidelines on theme-based pujas in the state.

On September 7, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari appealed to puja organisers not to choose any themes for their pandals and idols that could deviate from tradition, culture and the sanctity of rituals. The chief minister held a meeting with a few hundred puja organisers from across the state.

Earlier in August, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) ‘guidelines’ regarding the selection of themes for Durga Puja organisers in West Bengal triggered a row. The VHP, however, stated that no directions or diktats were issued and that puja organisers were only requested to adhere to the classical form.

“We need to bring back the traditional pandals. In the name of theme-based pujas we cannot do anything that is distorted and violates the sanctity. If the pandal is made with objects such as shoes, torn cloth, broken bangles that violate the sanctity, we will oppose it and stop the puja,” a VHP leader in West Bengal had earlier stated.

With just around a week left before the Devi Paksha starts with the Mahalaya on October 10, multiple finished idols covered with polythene sheets now wait, lined up in the narrow dimly-lit workshops on Bonomali Sarkar Street. The artisans are now giving last minute touches to the clay models while some are adding coats of paint before the idols set off for their respective pandals across the state. Some are bound for other states and have been carefully packed in large boxes.

“The state hasn’t issued any diktat. Only some requests have been made not to distort the figures of the Mother Goddess and her entourage in such a manner that it violates the sanctity. Organisers have welcomed this,” said the president of a prominent puja club in South Kolkata.