Mud Wrestling

Please don8217;t disturb me, it is my lunch time,8217;8217; Gobindda tells me in stern Bengali, as I try to step into his territory8212;...

Please don8217;t disturb me, it is my lunch time,8217;8217; Gobindda tells me in stern Bengali, as I try to step into his territory8212;a large makeshift plastic tent, an abode of 15 Durga idols. Thirty-five-year-old Gobind Nath has been making Durga idols for 30 years, and from his response it8217;s apparent that he8217;s received his share of media attention for the year.

But I8217;m stubborn. I8217;m not leaving without learning to wield a chiari flat bamboo chisel used to make mud statues. I put whatever little persuasive skills I have to instant use8212;8216;8216;I have a passion for art8217;8217;, 8216;8216;I shall give it my best8217;8217;8212;and eventually extract a reluctant nod of approval from the master. 8216;8216;It takes a lifetime to learn an art and even then some are not able to master it,8217;8217; he tells me.

Nath works with a team of 15 sculptors at Kali Mandir Society in Delhi8217;s Chittaranjan Park. It is a family calling and Gobindda started early. At 35, he has created hundreds of statues. 8216;8216;Making a protima idol is like giving birth to a baby. Like a pregnant mother imagining her unborn child, we visualise Maa Durga in our mind until the statue is complete,8217;8217; he says.

I look around for a chiari for my own baby step. Spotting a heap of well-kneaded mud dough, I get my hands sticky and try moulding it into the shape of Mahisasur8217;s Herculean biceps. I am prepared for Gobindda8217;s mocking smile.

8216;8216;As with humans, protimas are not just made of fat,8217;8217; he says. Mud is to statues what fat is to human bodies. 8216;8216;The first step is to frame the structure with bamboo sticks then wrap it with straw just like muscles attached to bones in humans.8217;8217; His knowledge of human anatomy is basic, but precise. Mud applied meticulously to the straw muscles provides the final contours.

The craftsmen are busy giving finishing touches to the idols. I spot a Kartikeya idol standing unattended and under Gobindda8217;s supervision, I get down to my final test.

Fumbling with a layer of straw on the ground, which I manage to straighten, I cover it with a layer of mud. Gobindda isn8217;t amused, his expression says it all8212;I8217;ve done a shoddy job and allowing me to place it on the head of Kartikeya would be sacrilege.

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He takes over and I stick to asking questions: Is it customary to bring soil from a nautch girl8217;s backyard for Durga pooja, as shown in Sanjay Leela Bhansali8217;s Devdas? 8216;8216;Where will you get the soil?8217;8217; he says. 8216;8216;All these girls now stay in marble-floored mansions. Haven8217;t you heard of Tarannum?8217;8217; He informs me that it was a tradition followed by zamindars who patronised nautch girls, but nobody follows the ritual now.

Not being able to score satisfactorily in the framing and crafting department, I move away and join one of his assistants to paint. Gobindda isn8217;t as critical about my brush strokes8212;8216;8216;You know how to hold a pen, so you8217;re not bad with the brush.8217;8217; I paint Ganesha8217;s eye and Gobindda nods appreciatively.

My effort at painting a Durga idol ends with the most embarrassing moment of the day: I climb a small bamboo structure to apply the first coat. But I slip, lose my balance and land on the ground. Gobindda comes running8212;to know if the protima is alright.

I give up. I finally ask him how he feels on the day of the visarjan. His first reaction is nonchalant, 8216;8216;I don8217;t feel anything specific. It8217;s part of the job.8217;8217; But later, he confesses that the visarjan tugs at his heart, 8216;8216;If only the protima could be kept at the pandal for two more days.8217;8217;