The magic fingers of Kumartuli, right here, in Bangalore.

From Kumartuli to Bangalore, from mother to son...

On the New Airport Road, a little past the Sahakarnagar entrance marked by “Big Market”, on your left, just off the service road, you will see a very curious looking installation art. Unclad, unpainted clay figures of Ganesha and other Gods stand tall, with a motley group of men quietly going about their work under a thatched roof. These are the famous Durga clay idol-makers from KumarTuli, north-central Calcutta, innovating with tradition, making Kumartuli-style Ganeshas in Bangalore.

As we sauntered in, camera in hand, our curiosity stirred, an artist was immersed in making a frame made of wooden planks and bamboo sticks and almost nothing else (in the background, in the pic above). What is really striking in the way these artisans work is that they use very few tools. The basic idol is practically, completely bio-degradable and environment friendly.

In the next step, the deity is roughly shaped by clumping together straw on strips of bamboo, and tying it and sculpting it into the basic deities’ skeletal frame, using jute thread. This skeleton is then tied onto the wooden pedestal made in the earlier step. This step decides the form and structure of the deity and is one of the most significant steps in the idol-making process.

Next, a thick coating of clay is applied over this skeleton and allowed to dry. This coating is made of special, black clay mixed with rice husk, to improve the binding of the clay onto the straw skeleton. This is allowed to dry for a few days in the Sun.

Then, a sand-clay mixed with jute is smeared all over the idol. Hands, feet, ears, trunk, crown and other details (made of terracotta or cement) are added on.. To give the smooth external finish, a wet cloth is deftly used to smooth the entire surface of the idol. The joints of the arms, legs and feet are all covered in cloth soaked in clay-solution. This is again allowed to dry completely. Such idols were the ones we’d first seen while going past the place.

The halo and other jewellery are now added. Then the idol is white-washed with chalk solution and then painted over with a base colour. Then the delicate finishing process begins, with the idol being painted in its final colours and all the finer details like the eyes, brows and lips are filled in by the seniors among the artists. Synthetic hair is added on as an embellishment and the deity is draped in real clothes made of a satin-like material. Then the idol is ready. This entire process takes about a week, depending on the size and the amount of detailing required. These idols are then sold for a few thousand rupees, mostly to institutional organizers or Ganesha Mandalis.

This amazing art form uses very few tools and materials and is built around inherently earth-friendly design practices. With design inputs from appropriate sources, these artisans can practice their age old art and keep it alive by innovating on design, making it more eco-friendly and sustainable. If they can be organised into an artisan's collective and provided technical and marketing support, that would give the artists and their art, a much-needed boost. Jai ho!