KOLKATA: The clay and the coats of paints are dry and most puja organizers are busy taking Durga and her entourage from to the pandals. But one batch
of idols made a really long journey from workshop to pandal weeks back. These are the idols that were sent abroad.
These were shipped to the US, Sweden, Austria and other places. Artisans Amar Nath Ghosh and his son Kaushik, who only accept overseas orders, sent 17 idols abroad this year. “We made 17 idols. Among them, five have been sent to the US, two each to Australia, England, Italy and Germany and one each to Vienna in Austria, Singapore, Canada and Sweden,” said Kaushik Ghosh.
“We create two kinds of idols. One is prepared from fiberglass and the other from pith (shola). While the fiberglass ones can cost around Rs 110,000-120,000, those prepared from paper or shola cost Rs 90,000 only,” he added.
The height of the idols can vary from four to nine feet. Most community puja organizers abroad prefer idols shipped to them. “It is a year-long process. We try to send idols by July on ships. Idols sent after July are sent on flights,” explains Ghosh.
It is, however, not every year that idols are immersed. The idols prepared from paper or shola can be preserved for about 10 years. “The bigger community puja organisers in the US often sell off the idols to smaller puja organisers. It helps reduce the cost involved in transporting idols from India,” Ghosh adds. It is only in Singapore that the idols are allowed to be immersed.
Kaushik is now busy gathering clients in New York, Seattle, Memphis, Vancouver, Toronto, Tokyo, Wellington, Kuala Lampur, Perth, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Milan, Florence, Venice and Manchester for next year’s puja. Ghosh’s clients are overseas Bengalis celebrating Durga Puja and the e-mail is his most-favoured medium for staying in touch with them.
“Because of the demand and huge distance involved, work has to start early. After September, its nearly impossible to take further orders,” Kaushik said. The community puja organisers flock to their website (www.amarnathghoshandsonsdurgapratima.com) from January every year.source: times of india
These were shipped to the US, Sweden, Austria and other places. Artisans Amar Nath Ghosh and his son Kaushik, who only accept overseas orders, sent 17 idols abroad this year. “We made 17 idols. Among them, five have been sent to the US, two each to Australia, England, Italy and Germany and one each to Vienna in Austria, Singapore, Canada and Sweden,” said Kaushik Ghosh.
“We create two kinds of idols. One is prepared from fiberglass and the other from pith (shola). While the fiberglass ones can cost around Rs 110,000-120,000, those prepared from paper or shola cost Rs 90,000 only,” he added.
The height of the idols can vary from four to nine feet. Most community puja organizers abroad prefer idols shipped to them. “It is a year-long process. We try to send idols by July on ships. Idols sent after July are sent on flights,” explains Ghosh.
It is, however, not every year that idols are immersed. The idols prepared from paper or shola can be preserved for about 10 years. “The bigger community puja organisers in the US often sell off the idols to smaller puja organisers. It helps reduce the cost involved in transporting idols from India,” Ghosh adds. It is only in Singapore that the idols are allowed to be immersed.
Kaushik is now busy gathering clients in New York, Seattle, Memphis, Vancouver, Toronto, Tokyo, Wellington, Kuala Lampur, Perth, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Milan, Florence, Venice and Manchester for next year’s puja. Ghosh’s clients are overseas Bengalis celebrating Durga Puja and the e-mail is his most-favoured medium for staying in touch with them.
“Because of the demand and huge distance involved, work has to start early. After September, its nearly impossible to take further orders,” Kaushik said. The community puja organisers flock to their website (www.amarnathghoshandsonsdurgapratima.com) from January every year.source: times of india
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