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Lone crusader

Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

pioneer: China Pal in her studio.

W hile the image of Mother Durga is representative of supreme power vested with a woman, women artisans have been traditionally excluded from the guild of idol makers.

In 1994, 27-year-old China Pal bucked the trend as she took over the reins of her father’s studio. Fifteen years later, she tells the tale of how she stepped into the studio for the first time after her father died with nearly 30 sets of unfinished idols and a month to go before the festival started.

Today, China Pal’s studio is one of the most reputed for images in the traditional ek chal chitri, says Babu Pal, the Secretary of the Idol Makers Union.

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