The nation is struggling to bring the coronavirus spread under control. The government has announced a lockdown across the country and most people are staying indoors to safeguard themselves against the virus. However, these measures have brought down the economy significantly and some are badly affected by it, including the idol makers.
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have a huge impact on the upcoming Ganpati and Diwali festivals. As a result, the idol makers in Maharashtra's Kalyan, who are struggling to make ends meet because of the lockdown, have started looking for alternative sources of income by selling vegetables and biscuits.
The clay required to make the idols and many other things arrives from Gujarat which has stopped due to the lockdown. Some of the sculptors are using leftover clay and broken pots to reconstruct the old statues. They are praying to the Gods to end the crisis soon so that they can resume their work.
For extra income, the sculptor used to make earthen pots during summers, but due to the nationwide lockdown, people are not leaving their homes and therefore, the sculptors have no business.
"I make idols but people are not turning up to buy the statues. I also sell earthen pots, but everything has stopped, business is meagre. I have been selling biscuits to make ends meet," Sadashiv Kumbha, a sculptor, says.
Another sculptor, Anil Kadam, claims that the money that they make during these festival times lasts them for a year. "Our annual business is during Ganapati, Navratri and Diwali festivals. We are able to make enough money in these three months that last us for a whole year. If this lockdown is not over and coronavirus is not stopped then we will have to bear a lot of financial loss," he said.
The idol makers said that there is little time left and feel that they cannot make a lot of idols in the time remaining. Usually, it is the bigger statues that get them a decent price even though it takes up more of their time.
This year, the Ganapati festival will be celebrated towards the end of August. However, it remains doubtful if the festival will be celebrated at all.