It is that time of year when the streets come alive with Ganesha idols of different hues. With Ganesha Chaturthi on September 13, traditional artisans in Mysuru are busy working overtime to cater to the demand for the idols.
The city has patronised artisans of all kinds, and in the run up to the festival, traditional clay artisans at Kumbarageri near Ashoka Road and those in Hebbal begin making the idols as a full-time job. There are atleast 80 traditional artisan families in Kumbarageri and around the same number in Hebbal.
Making the idols keeps the traditional artisans busy for atleast four to six months and provides them with jobs but the economics is disrupted by the bulk procurement of idols from Bengaluru and other commercial centres.
This threatens the future of the traditional artisans of Mysuru, said Revanna of Kumbarageri.
Rising costs
The input cost including labour, clay, transportation, and other charges has increased. But the cost of clay idols are kept artificially low to match the price of moulded idols manufactured in bulk and procured from other cities. “Besides, clay idols have to be priced competitively so as to make it affordable or else the concept of an eco-friendly Ganesha festival would be defeated,” Mr. Revanna explained.
Eco-friendly idols
Of late, this concept has been well received. There is an rising trend among the devout to opt for such idols, Puttaswamy, a clay artisan whose family has been making idols for generations, says. Though some prefer clay idols devoid of any paint, there are others who opt for clay idols laced with eco-friendly colours made of vegetable dye and other organic ingredients, he added.
Given the slow but steady demand for eco-friendly idols, the artisan community recently came forward to form Ganesha-Gowri Idol Manufacturers’ Association so as to collectively promote their interest, said Mr. Puttaswamy who is the vice-president of the body.
“The economics of making Ganesha idols is not favourable and cannot sustain us for the entire year. Hence, most of us take other jobs off-season. But it is tradition and the satisfaction of helping the devout offer worship that keeps us going,” said Puttaswamy.
Meanwhile, local authorities have clamped a ban on idols made of plaster of Paris (PoP) and paper pulp as they are heavily laced with insecticides and chemical paints that are toxic. Such measures are expected to drive the demand for clay idols that will benefit the local artisans in the long run.