Artisans from Muzaffarnagar lend colour to Dussehra

Sher Khan, who is leading the group, said, “I learnt the art of making effigies from my elders. During the festive season, my grandfather and my father used to come to the city. I used to accompany them and learnt the technique.”

This time, they are making 10 effigies in Sector 31 for the Dussehra celebrations at Ram Darbar, Sector 40 and Sector 66. The group includes both Muslims and Hindus. They have been working together for long, and the communal strife in Muzaffarnagar last year did not  affect their camaraderie. Luckily, the place they come from was free from trouble.

Explaining the work, Armaan Khan said, “Our work starts with cutting bamboo sticks and finishing them into different desirable shapes and sizes. Folding and tying of long bamboo sticks demands precision. This take about 10 to 15 days.”

Sattar Khan added, “Next we start working on the head and the torso. One head is three to four-foot long and takes about three days to complete. A group of artisans work on it together. Similarly, four or five people together work on the making of about 30-foot-long torso of Ravan, which takes another week.”

The artisans work long hours to complete the work in time. Each artisan gets to and fro fare, food and lodging, besides Rs 5,000 for the work, said Sher Khan, who is the contractor.

“Every year, we come all the way from Muzaffarnagar to Chandigarh. Money is not the only reason, the fact is that we are now attached to this place as our elders used to come here,” said 48-year-old Inderpal. After Dussehra, the artisans go back to Muzaffarnagar and to their usual routine. Most of them work as daily-wage labourers, some work in industrial units or restaurants.