The Final Touch: Durga Puja Is Knocking At The Door
Dear readers,
At first I want to say a big sorry to all of you as I didn't wrote for a whole month. Actually I was busy for the freshers' party of my college, and as now the puja-vacation has started, so I'm here again :)
Last year after the test exam of 12th standard I was all bored, alone and at the same time very much enthusiastic for a days out for photography..So I called one of my close friends and asked him if he could give me a ride on his bike and take me to those studios where the idols are made..My parents are very conservative and they would not allow me to go for a photo session with a male friend, so I didn't tell them about that, however I told mom that I was going for a get-together at a friend's house. Well, honestly I felt a guilt inside my mind for telling a lie to mom..but the photography bug bit me very hard and I could not do anything!!
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| THE UNFINISHED BEAUTY |
At first we went to a studio where the idol making was almost done, artistes were painting the idols with utmost devotion...I was amazed to see the strokes of their finger when the painted the curves of the clothes, the eyes of the idols...I was dumbstuck..
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| DEVOTION |
I was roaming here and there inside the studio. There was not so much space as huge numbers of idols, both finished and unfinished were kept there..
The artists were very much delighted to see a girl of my age taking snapshots of their work. they felt their hard labour was much worthy to people of my age too.. In fact they told "Tomar boyeshi meye amader ekhane ase na to...tumi ki chobi tolo? tomar nesha?" ("girls of your age never come to such messy place..do you do photography? Is that your hobby?") and there I felt an undefined pleasure to give them such satisfaction.
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| From the side-angle |
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| The magnificent Durga |
One of the artists, seeing my enthusiasm at last asked me to take a full snap of the group of idols almost finished. It was a bit tough to take the full view, so I took snaps of all the idols in that group and decided to merge them in one frame with Photoshop ;)
The artist also asked if I could give him the picture I took, and I readily agreed. after all it always feels great when you see your work photographed or published. Here are the different shots of that group...
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| KARTIKEYA & GANESHA |
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| SARASWATI & LAXMI |
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| ASURA |
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| The lion |
People were busy arranging their last minute touch to give a fulfillment to the idols, binding straws,applying clay, colouring etc...In the middle they kept on chatting with me and my friend. They also told that some news reporters had come to that place a few days earlier...
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| numbers of idols |
Before coming out of the studio I climbed on the stair which the artists use to climb on top and paint, and took the best shot of that day!! See below...
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| Radiance of the eyes |
Coming out that studio, we walked to a hut of a potter. And I was feeling so upset for his condition...He lived in a hut(which I doubt if I can really call a hut) of about 14 feet x 14 feet height...There was hardly any utensils, no furniture but a small cot, an earthen hearth,no cloths...I was wondering how the family of the potter, his wife, two small children would spend their days.. They welcomed us and my friend kept on asking him various questions such as how much money did he get, when the pressure of work is high etc etc..
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| The potter in his hut |
I was taking the snap of how deliberately and creatively he made the pot perfect, and when the shot was taken, I noticed that his children were standing behind me and they were utterly happy to see the photograph..The innocent smile on their face made my day colourful...My friend had taken some chocolates with him and he gave those to the children..They were more than happy :)
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| Stroke of perfection |
While we came out we noticed a huuuuuuuge number of pots outside his hut...
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| We all are same |
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| Yet to be coloured |
After that we headed to another studio. It was just beside the road, even many idols were kept beside the road for drying, artists were giving their final strokes under the scorching sun. we entered in one tented studio, none was there. my friend told me to click pictures and if anyone enquires something then just to tell the truth that we had come to click pictures and nothing else. There were numbers of idols standing in a line, each with different textures,colours, styles. From there the idols are transfered to different mandaps, so obviously the idols were of different styles.
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| Colours which enhances the beauty |
After a while some artists entered and utterly happy with our visit kept on showing us different models, some cracking jokes about their being famous...They were doing their last bits such as applying moustache with glue, applying jewellery etc. While returning they asked for a chewing gum which my friend gave to me and I gave them happily ;)
We came back after a while and decided to have a look at the artists who were doing their job under the terrible scorching sun beside the road.
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| Men at work |
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| Almost ready |
My eyes suddenly fell on a table where the earthen heads of the idols were kept for drying...And how amazing they looked...!!
Then I saw a huge structure which was covered with white polythene, I could make out that it was an idol. So I got inside the polythene cover and was startled!! No, there was nothing horrible at all, there was a man painting the eyes of the idol,standing on a bench. I wa sstartled because I didn't imagine that there would be a person inside the cover!! Anyway I also stood up on the bench and with his permission took pictures of his painting. I after all understood that to cover himself from the heat, he was painting insid ethe polythene cover!!Here is the picture..
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| PERFECT TOUCH |
Well, in this way the photo session was done for that day...I felt a great pleasure to explore the people behind the perfect idols which we see with utmost appreciation while visiting puja-pandals on puja days... These people don't get much wages for their one of the most beautiful art and we the people wearing precious cloths watch their works free of cost...
But I guess they just forget all their worries when the see appreciation in the eyes of the visitors or when they see the fully finished idol ready to transfer to any mandap. On that day I understood that a model or idol is the outcome of the constant labour of a number of people who in lieu of small payment makes something so elegant, so perfect....
