Potters' town Kumartuli may finally get makeover

KOLKATA: Only as Durga Puja dawns does the spotlight fall on the artisans of Kumartuli. The rest of the year, the three-century-old potters' town in the heart of Kolkata has to brave oblivion - and with it leaky roofs, dingy lanes, waterlogged streets and incessant rainfall.
 
Now, with the five-day festival of the Bengalis set to start this week, the West Bengal government is drawing up a blueprint for its makeover.
 
"We have transactions of around Rs.90 million every year at Kumartuli. Despite doing good business, we are still living in unhygienic conditions," Mintu Pal, general secretary of the Kumartuli Mrith Shilpi Association, told.
 
"There is a serious space crunch, filthy environment and no civic amenities in terms of road infrastructure and drainage."
 
Sudhanshu Seal, an MP of the state's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who is spearheading the committee constituted for Kumartuli's makeover, said, "The Kumartuli rehab plan is finally ready.
 
"The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) project worth Rs.260 million will start at the end of the current year. The entire work will take one and a half years to complete." 
 
He said the state government has prepared a blueprint for the complete makeover of Kumartuli, where 4,000-odd artisans live. The term 'kumar' denotes a potter and 'tuli' means locality in Bengali.
 
The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) will implement the project, 35 percent of its cost being borne by the central government, 15 percent by the state government, and the remaining 50 percent being arranged through loans.
 
The KMDA will construct houses for the artisans over five acres of land at Kumartuli on the ground-plus-three-floors pattern. It will also build an art gallery for artisans to showcase their creations.
 
Seal said the plan was conceptualised in 2005 and was supposed to be implemented last year.
 
"The project got a little delayed since we were in talks with the artisans over land and rehabilitation issues. The work will formally start in phases from November this year after the season gets over," he said.  
 
The history of Kumartuli, the clay model-makers' haven, dates back to the 17th century when potters in search of better livelihood came from Krishnagar to Gobindapore, a prosperous village on the banks of the Bhagirathi (now river Hooghly), to make a living by making pots, clay toys and cooking utensils for household use.
 
Later, when the land at Gobindapore was required by the British East India Company to build Fort William, the inhabitants migrated further up the river to Sutanuti. The potters moved on to the new destination, colonised a vast area and named it Kumartuli.
 
The Bengal Consultations, a journal published in 1707 AD, gives an account of the presence of Kumartuli's artisans who occupied 75 acres of land at Sutanuti, which is a constituent of present day north Calcutta.
 
"We want the Kumartuli development project to be implemented. It will not only be for the betterment of existing artisans working in the area but for rejuvenating the art of ancient Bengal," Pal said.
 
He said the representatives of Kumartuli artisans had a dialogue with West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya last month when they said the project should start in a phase-by-phase manner so as not to inconvenience artisans in shifting their set-ups.
 
"We think there will be a huge employment opportunity if the Kumartuli rejuvenation project is done in a proper manner," Pal said.
 
Somnath Pal, another Kumartuli clay-idol maker said, "We are now in talks with the state government and KMDA officials regarding plot-related matters. A location near Kashipur in north Kolkata is likely to be chosen for shifting artisans temporarily in November this year."