Nabadwip is a well-known place in Bengal known for its gifted Mitshilpis or sculptors. Amit and his team come to Mumbai every year, nearly two-and-a half months ahead of Durga Panchami, and set up their workshop. The idols are made of hay and mud.
Amit Pal is busy giving finishing touches to a sculpture ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations organised by the Bengal Club at Shivaji Park. The exquisite sculpture is a collage of idols of Goddess Durga, Ganpati, Kartik and demon king Mahishasura, and will be unveiled on the evening of Shashthi, falling on October 19.
The 34-year-old sculptor's family, residents of Nabadwip district of West Bengal, has been associated with the Bengal Club for close to half a century now. Amit's father Nimai Pal made idols for the club for over 40 years, and Amit himself has been doing the same for the last eight years, after following in his father's footsteps as a child.
Nabadwip is a well-known place in Bengal known for its gifted Mitshilpis or sculptors. Amit and his team come to Mumbai every year, nearly two-and-a half months ahead of Durga Panchami, and set up their workshop. The idols are made of hay and mud.
"The skeleton is made of hay and then covered with the mud from the Ganga river basin. An age-old custom is associated with the clay that goes into the making of the idols. A handful of mud from the red-light area of West Bengal, picked by a prostitute, is mixed with the clay that is used to make the sculptures," says Amit. This tradition has been followed to make the sex-workers feel included in the community.
The effigies are then painted with eco-friendly colours. Water soluble and chemical free colours are mixed in Khori Mati or dry clay. This year, the idols will be adorned with traditional Benarasi silk. The backdrop of the main idol will be decorated using a peculiar material derived from a plant called Shola or Aeschynomene aspera, a herbaceous plant that grows wild in marshy waterlogged areas. The cortex of the plant is dried, treated, pressed and shaped into delicate artistic objects.
"Intricate designs can be carved out of Shola and idols look resplendent when embellished with themt," said Amit, adding that he feels there is a sea of difference between the festivities in Mumbai and Kolkata. "In Kolkata, theme-based pandals and sculptures are a fad but celebrations in Mumbai are more traditional, as people here are trying to stick to their roots," he said.
Apart from the Bengal club, Amit makes idols for 25 other clubs. He even exports some of his sculptures. "Many years ago, the entire Pal community made idols for Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal. Now, the tradition has spread across India and even beyond the borders. The livelihood picture is better now-a-days," he said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "artist")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}