STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The city is alive with anticipation. As Durga Puja approaches, Guwahati’s streets throb with colour, music and the rush of preparations. Yet, tucked away in its narrow lanes, in the dimly lit workshops of Bishnupur, Lachit Nagar and beyond, a quieter devotion unfolds — the painstaking birth of the goddess herself.
Here, artisans bend over bamboo frames and straw skeletons, their palms coated in clay, their brows damp with sweat. Generations of families carry this craft, their hands shaping divine figures long before the lights, pandals and processions arrive. Yet, alongside faith and tradition, there is fatigue, worry and sacrifice.
“It takes months of effort,” says an artisan from Bishnupur, his eyes fixed on a half-finished crown. “We use bamboo, cane or wooden sticks tied with jute ropes to form the skeleton. Straw gives the bulk, while clay mixed with rice husk and jute fibers adds strength. Drying is crucial — a sudden shower can ruin weeks of work.”
For many, the race is not only against the festive calendar but also against the skies. Sudden rainstorms mean idols must be hurriedly swaddled in plastic or dried with makeshift fires. “Heads, hands and feet are sculpted separately and joined later. After drying, we paint, dress and adorn the idol with ornaments. The eyes — the ‘chokkhu daan’ — are painted last. That moment gives us shivers every time,” Pal adds softly.
Behind the spiritual grandeur lies a harsh arithmetic. “A small idol costs around Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000. Medium idols go up to Rs 80,000, while a towering 30-foot figure can exceed Rs 1.6 lakh,” explains another artisan. “Yet after paying labour, materials and transport, we are left with little. It is back-breaking work, but the profit is barely enough to sustain us.”
Cheaper Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, tighter puja budgets and environmental restrictions make survival even harder. “We begin as early as March,” says another artisan. “But late monsoons, floods and rising material costs push us into losses. Still, what else can we do? This is our heritage, our only livelihood.”
Despite the struggle, the work continues — not just as business, but as devotion. Each brushstroke on the goddess’s eye, each curve of her hand, is an offering, a prayer. For the artisans, Durga Puja is not just a celebration; it is the culmination of months of toil, hope and endurance.
When the idols finally rise in pandals, adorned in silk and gold, worshipped by thousands, the city rarely pauses to think of the men and women behind the spectacle. Yet it is their unseen labour — their clay-stained hands and sleepless nights — that bring the goddess home year after year.
Behind the splendor of Durga Puja lives the silent struggle of Guwahati’s idol makers, who pour their sweat, skill and soul into ensuring that the Mother Goddess descends upon her devotees in all her glory.
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