Kolkata: The joy of festivity has finally returned to Kumartuli, the iconic idol makers' hub in North Kolkata, as the artisans have already exported over 167 idols to various countries. Gone are the days when the Covid-19 pandemic which turned Kumartuli into a desolate place with artisans grieving the loss of their livelihood as orders for Durga Puja idols slumped drastically.
Hundreds of Durga idols from Kumartuli will travel to different countries including America and Canada bringing smile back to the faces of artisans like Mintu Pal, Kaushik Ghosh, Subal Pal, Basudeb Pal, Sanatan Pal, and Pradeep Rudra.
With Covid cases declining across the world and public life returning to normalcy, this year orders for Durga idols from abroad have also shot up with most of them heading for the United States and the United Kingdom. They will also be exported to Dubai, Canada, Italy, South Africa, Russia, and New Zealand.
Kumartuli Potters Association Secretary Sujit told ETV Bharat not only has the situation improved in the last two years but foreign orders for Durga idols have also increased. “The situation has changed in the last two years. Not only that, the number of idols taken abroad has increased as compared to 2019. So far, more than 167 idols have been exported. A few more are left. The artists are happy to return to the normal rhythm,” said Pal.
According to Kumartuli Potters Association, 137 idols were exported in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Then for two years, public life came to a grinding halt. Only 26-27 idols were exported abroad in 2020. As many as 110 idols were delivered in 2021.
Located in the narrow lanes of North Kolkata, Kumartuli, started its journey soon after the victory of the East India Company in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. It is said that after the victory of the British Raja Nabakrishna Deb, the owner of the Sovabazar Raj Bari in North Kolkata, invited potters from Bengal's Krishnanagar in Nadia district and made them settle in Kumartuli( potter's hub). Since then the journey of the god makers of Kumartuli has started and it received a much needed boost with the rise in demand for Durga idols.
