Agartala: After over two years of recession triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, idol makers in Tripura capital Agartala are expecting to make up the losses this Durga Puja through the sale of idols. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the country's economy very badly resulting in a massive slowdown and affecting small businesses.
Idol makers in Agartala are eagerly looking forward to Durga Puja to make some extra bucks. More than 50 shops of idol makers situated in Agartala say that the sales have gone up lately. Speaking to ETV Bharat, idol maker Chandan Biswas of Agartala said he was earning a good profit which otherwise was not the case in the last two years due to the pandemic.
"For the past 25 years, my family and I have been engaged in making different idols including idols of Maa Durga. We never faced any losses earlier but Covid arrived like a disaster for us. It was very hard for us to make idols as puja organizers were not ready to go for huge idols. Though this time I am witnessing profit and received good orders”, said Chandan.
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Another idol maker Anil Pal said that unlike previous years, this year they have received orders of making Durga idols for different puja organizers in Agartala. "We are doing very well. Work is going on in full swing and we have received good numbers of orders for making Durga idols. Though we don’t make large idols of Maa Durga, we received orders from a resident who has been performing Durga puja for decades," said Surubala Pal, wife of Anil Pal who has been running his business for more than 30 years.
The number of Durga Puja stalls in Agartala has also significantly increased as this year more than 900 Pujas will take place in and around Agartala city. Another idol maker Prasenjit Rudra Paul, who handles his father's business, said that he never witnessed such loss as he did during the pandemic.
“These previous two years had badly hit our family and our business too. But now the business is good. Big Puja organisers have come with orders for Maa Durga idols. We are slowly recovering from the huge loss”, he said.
