The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 25 days, 20 men to make a 10-foot idol

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

25 days, 20 men to make a 10-foot idol

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, SEPT. 13. It is just four days till Vinayaka Chaturti and the men at Kosapet are busy. Some are giving the finishing touches while others making new are making new plaster of Paris idols of Ganesha. Broken pieces litter the workplace and young men use beaten coir to mould new idols.

The men, in torn and faded clothes, are elbow deep in white paste used to make the idols. Despite the recent stay on using plaster of Paris, those who have placed orders want to know the status of their orders.

Under a huge tree in an open yard in a shabby by-lane, Murthi, one of the contractors supervises nearly a dozen workers and answers calls on his cell phone. He has a copy of the test certificate for plaster of Paris issued in July by the Department of Industries and Commerce.

300 workers involved

A five-foot statue is priced at Rs. 700 but clay idols are available for even Rs. 2, he says. In Kosapet alone, about 300 workers are currently involved in making the idols. It takes 25 days and 20 men to make a 10-foot idol. For the past month and a half, the area has been busy. "This festival provides job for at least 1,000 people. The coir is beaten elsewhere and brought here in carts. These people can expect to make some money."

Earlier, the manufacturers used ordinary colouring material. A coat of enamel ensured that the paint would not run off. Though the plastered idols withstand rain, seawater will destroy the idols within a few hours, says Murthi.

Buyers like Logu from Tiruvanmiyur and Venkatesh from Perambur, who have placed orders for the big idols, do not buy the argument that the immersion will pollute the sea and its living creatures. "Let the Government take samples of the sea water before and after immersion and come out with the test results."

The contractors, however, suggest that if the Government comes up with alternatives to the chemical paints they currently use, they would abide by the decision.

On Perambur High Road nearby, the picture is different. Here one can see a family from North India working with plaster of Paris to make Ganesha idols.

Those around note that they come to the city during Janmashtami or Vinayaka Chaturthi to make a tiny profit. The Vinayaka idols can cost up to Rs. 500.

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