Journalism of Courage
With just a couple of days left for Ganesh Chathurthi, which will be celebrated this year on August 31, devotees in Chennai have started thronging shops selling Ganesh idols, as the prices of the idols are expected to soar a day prior to the festival.
However, Kosapettai near Purasawalkam, the traditional hub of idol makers and artisans in Chennai, wears a gloomy look. Sources say artisans in Kosapettai have stocked up 500-1,500 idols in their homes and godowns in anticipation of brisk business, but have not found many takers for their products this year.
The artisans in Kosapettai usually sell a one-and-a-half foot idol approximately at Rs 600. They claim the prices have gone up owing to stringent environmental restrictions. Some artisans add that they are no longer able to make the idols in Kosapettai and take the raw materials to a faraway village in Puducherry, and bring back the idols for the final dyeing process in Chennai.
At a cramped-up space, A Mohan, 61, and his wife Shanthi, 50, can be seen making new idols. They are one of the very few traditional artisans who are still involved in making idols using clay sand. The couple claim they are not sure whether they will recover their investment this year. They claim that owing to the rise in prices of raw materials and poor returns, many fellow artisans have left the trade in search of better opportunities.
“We belong to Kulalar Sangam. My family has been involved in this business for over several decades. My father Arunachalam Bakthar came to Kosapet when he was 10 years old and, after that, he learnt the art of idol making. He then taught his children, including me, how to make idols. There were around 300 families which were involved in making these idols, now there are hardly 20 families doing it. People have moved onto the film Industry and the rest have become domestic workers, watchmen, etc. We don’t know anything other than giving our blood and sweat to make these idols that are kept in your houses for a day or so. The passion for art is keeping people like me hooked on to this profession,” Mohan says.
Shanthi says she pledged her jewellery, and borrowed money from financiers at a higher rate of interest. She adds that raw materials, labour and transportation charges are costing them a lot and it is becoming difficult for them to make a decent profit.
She further says that close to five families are working for them and they have to pay their wages every day as even a slight delay will make the workers go in search of other jobs.
“It is like walking a tight rope. We are not making enough profit but we also don’t know other jobs so we are doing everything possible to stay alive in this business. People nowadays make idols using Plaster of Paris (PoP), wherein less manpower and production costs are involved. We can make up to 100 idols with PoP in quick time, but that’s not the case with clay sand. Still we want to make idols in the traditional way because our family tradition bars us from making idols in any material apart from clay sand,” she notes.
The couple have two daughters. Both of them don’t want to take up idol making as their profession. Shanthi says her elder daughter works as a boxing coach and the younger daughter is married. She says this art form will end with their generation as the next generation doesn’t want to suffer like them.
Jayanthi, whose family has been involved in idol making for over 40 years, says she doesn’t have the money to pay the college fees of her children. She claims that even during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was some business but now the situation has become dull.
“August to December is our peak season. We start to prepare the idols right from January. Last year, we had some good business. However, this year has been the worst. In other years, we get around 40 to 50 buyers a month, but now hardly 10 people visit us… We sell smaller idols at Rs 40, keeping a profit margin of Rs 5. The cost of making such an idol is Rs 35, including painting and labour costs. Now, the sellers are asking us to give them the idols at Rs 30, how can we do that?” she asks.
“I have lost sleep… I have got diabetes; other health complications are starting to affect me. The government has done nothing for us… We have been made to run from pillar to post, meeting different authorities and seeking their cooperation in getting some monthly financial assistance that will guarantee us three meals a day. The situation was the same during the previous government. We believed this government would do something but it has been the same story,” Jayanthi says.
