Durga idols hit the overseas trail

KOLKATA: The Durga Puja countdown has started and Kumortuli artisans have stepped on the gas with orders from across the world pouring in. From Paris, London to Dallas and even Madris, idols from the city are either on their way or are being packed for shipping. It is expected that at least 50 idols will be delivered overseas this year.
Veteran artisan Badal Chandra Pal is sending out idols to Paris, Dallas, Los Angeles and London this year.His son Arup Pal told TOI: “We have already shipped an idol to Dallas. Work is on for the ones to be sent to Paris and London. The customers contact us either after visiting our website or through reference from earlier customers. The average height of the Ma Durga idols are 6.5ft.”
The idols that are sent abroad are usually made of fibre glass. The structure is made of mud first, then plaster of Paris is administered following which molten glass is poured on it and given shape accordingly. “We then put on the jewellery and pack the idols into airtight boxes. We are going to ship the idol set for Los Angeles on Tueday,” said Arup.
Ranjit Sarkar, Kumortuli Mritshilpo Sangskritik Samiti joint secretary said so far there has been 22 orders. “Normally, the veteran artisans get two to five overseas orders per year. The trend has changed in recent years, the trend has changed. One idol is worshipped for several years. Last year I sent idols to cities like Munich, Berlin and New York. This year I’m having talks with a Stuttgart group but the order is not yet confirmed. If it works out, it will be made of thermocol,” he said. According to him, last year 44 idols were sent abroad. “More orders will be coming in by next month,” added Ranjit.
Several veteran artisans like Amar Ghosh, Subal Pal, Sujit Pal, Mintu Pal, Pradyut Pal and Naba Kumar Pal have already received overseas orders. Subal told TOI: “so far I have received orders from Australia and Singapore and will ship them in August. After that, there is an order each from London and Madrid. Last year too I had similar number of orders.” The fibre glass idols are of an average height of 7ft.
Sujit is sending a set of idols to Glasgow, Scotland. “It’s a 5ft idol and already shipped. On an average the idols that are shipped cost close to Rs 1.5 lakh and it takes another Rs 80000 to ship. The overseas clients always ask for tradititional idols so there is no experimentation.”