Kumortuli with Mr.P and Co.

And that "Co." in the title is for Sounak and Rashmila. Thank God that I had spoken about a Kumortuli trip with Sounak in the last post or else we could not have got the most syntactically correct mind of our circle with us - Rashmila. She was as enthusiastic as to see the greenroom of the idols as we both were!

Hi,

[Must warn you here: This post is a quite lengthy one. Your patience should be the key if it is the end that you wish for! I can only promise my honest efforts to not to challenge that in mid-way.]

I think it is needless to say anymore that Mr.P and I could finally make it. But after I was back from the jaunt, Mr.P discovered that he has made a good deal of errors while clicking which has destroyed many of the pictures (it kind of is disturbing). Whatever was left undamaged, is here.  Most of the pictures here are in black and white and I have tried to keep the names in a bit of alliterative fashion. And one more thing: the pictures do not represent the flow of time on that evening. They have been placed in a random manner.

Here we go. The area of Kumortuli is an amoeba shaped typical north Kolkata colony on the bank of the river Ganga. The soil and sediments which the Ganga deposits on its bank is the ideal raw material of sculpting the idols.

They are transported on boats and are distributed among the sculptures from the Bagbazaar ghat. The perfect blend of this soil with water is called 'etel maati' in bengali (which means sticky soil in english) which is the one the artists use to give the idol a standing shape. This picture above I call CRAFT'S CLAY.

Not only the etel maati but also needed are many more small but important ingredients to complete the structure. They include straw, bamboo, ropes, plaster, glue etc.

When we three reached this place, I could see him working with the plaster. I tried to seek a permission from him to let Mr.P click his photo. He didn't say a word. Something in me refused to call it rudeness. He was, very apparently, busy with a FESTIVAL FORMULA.

And now for the saddest part for Mr.P. He went there to shoot the artists at work in full swing. But later he realised that in eight out of ten pictures, he didn't care to notice the settings of my camera and also could not keep his arms steady. Result: bad pictures (short term) and a loss of one year (long term). Whatever he got, one of them is here.

This photograph is from the studio of Nepal Pal (Yes... thats not a surprising name in Bengal). About eighty percent of the artists in Kumortuli have the surname Pal. When I asked one of the artists working there about the number of idols being given shape there, he answered me - about thirty. I calculated a bit and even from my poor mathematics I could tell that they are working really hard to meet the DEADLINE DEMANDS.

Its not only art but also some deal of engineering which the artists use to make every Durga Puja a grand success, year after year. Kumortuli can be  termed as a mass production house of the idols and for mass production, everything cannot started from scratch.

These casts are made in hundreds and thousands in numbers from the same moulds which probably are in use for decades. These are later blended in with the main structure to give that a final shape. In some of the studios we saw smoke coming out of these casts. Later I came to know that to dry these and to get rid of the mosquitoes, something is kept burning inside these INVERTED   IMITATIONS. 

And how it is possible for Mr.P to return without a glimpse of the old Kolkata which in spite of being unplanned, untidy and filled with narrow old lanes has such an inviting hypnotism that it is very difficult to be in two minds to be sure of the actual roots.

In my last year's trip to Kumortuli also, Mr.P came back with a photograph of a meagre lane. Lucky for him, this time also that he could find the correct settings for his snap. According to me the sight of the AGELESS ALLEY in Kolkata, no matter how old it grows, will remain unchanged in memories forever.

Moving out for some more pictures, Mr.P caught a few more flavours of North Kolkata. Comparatively, the people (not only kids) of North Kolkata are still crazy about the sport of kite flying than of southern Kolkata.

While the entire colony was busy with their deadlines, the only concern of a few of them was 'why the wind not catching up?'. I noticed eight repetitive attempts of this boy in not more than one minute while Mr.P was only waiting for the face of the kite to be seen from place where I was standing. I call this picture JOY OF THE JOBLESS.

As you already know, this trip was planned a week before when it actually took place. The reason for that was simple. The later we go, the more the probability of the idols to be near their finished state. And to me, Kumortuli is more about the process than about the product (sounds like one of those ISO 9001-2008 guys!).

Its good that we were a week late. The reason being we could see the colour work along with the clay work. My observation told me that this was the first coat of colour used on the white primer. The idols are the reflection of what the artists think to be the most perfect of human structures and the colours do not count as exception. I call this picture DAFFODIL DISTEMPER.

Many will argue in favour and many in against of the concept of Theme Puja. (no no.. 'Theme' is no God whom we worship). Theme Puja is name given to idea of having the pandal, the decorations and sometimes even the idol to be of the same concept. These themes range from Burmese Pagodas to Harry Potter, from haunted houses to the Golden Temple of Amritsar.

This year is the one hundred and fiftieth birth anniversary of Rabindra Nath Tagore and this life size sculpture of the very man is a clear indication of what at least one of the two thousand Puja Committees of Kolkata is thinking as their theme. There was a big standing sculpture of The Phantom (yes... the comic strip superhero!) with his Hero beside this one, but Mr.P could not capture him good. As a Bengali, I call this picture RABI ROBE NIROBE (which means "Rabi will remain in silence" ... inspired by a line from his poetry: Tumi robe nirobe. "Tumi" means "You" in Bengali)

In that studio of Nepal Pal, when we three went inside, we learned that its a two floor studio. When I was climbing up the naked staircase, Mr.P caught a glimpse of the studio beside it... of Rakhal Pal. (I am not sure, but I think Nepal and Rakhal were brothers)

It was actually a different feeling to see Durga idols everywhere. On the Puja outings, I am sure that only a handful of Kolkatans can manage to see so many idols in those five days which we three have seen in ninety minutes. Even from the gap which the builder has forgotten to fill with cement, a glimpse of more than one Durga is easily available. Looking at the dark sense, Mr.P calls this picture ULTERIOR UNDERWORLD.

There was actually a good number of photographers roaming the entire locality. We saw a news reporting team also. Three to four of them also were shooting the same thing at the same time when Mr.P took the snap below.

This is/was again, I think, was part of some theme. Apart from the main idols, the artists have to pay in the equal amount of attention to every detail that these side attractions have. Hats off! Mr.P calls this one PLASTERED PAIR.

It was Rashmila who redirected Mr.P's attention to these hanging representation of some Puja in the past. Sounak, Rashmila and Mr.P were capturing Kumortuli in their own freedom but if anyone of us was finding anything worth the attention of the other two, a signal was always given.

During the five days of Puja, tender coconuts are kept on these earthen pots along with bael leaves and a piece of cloth. These scarlet pots have their place right in front of the goddess. But once the ceremony is over, just like the idol of the goddess itself, the illusion of these pots are also taken out from the minds of the devotees and they remain only the TERRACOTTA TABLEAU of those five days.

The arrangement of the idol in the Durga Puja is like Durga in the centre (with the lion and Mahisasura at her feet and Shiva above her crown), Lakshmi to Durga's right and to the right of Lakshmi is Ganesha (with his Kola Bou to his further right). To Durga's left is Saraswati and to Saraswati's left is Kartikeya. All this means that its not only Durga that the artists need to sculp but also the other family members (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya are believed to be her children).

This picture above is a fraction of all the Saraswatis which are getting shape at Kumortuli. As all of us know, she is believed to be the goddess of art and education. The colour of Saraswati is imagined as white as symbol of purity which she represents. This picture is called by me as SERENITY SERIES.

Earlier I had said that there is a lack of colours in this post (which, no doubt, you must have noticed). But leaving out the colour from the shot below would equal the sin of vandalizing.

Its not the first time when Mr.P has captured a complete stranger in a somewhat "interesting" (according to Mr.P) situation and surrounding. I don't know whether this man is one of the artists or one those hand pulled rickshaw pullers but he stayed peeking in like this only for some moments. Mr.P calls this one BARS AND BLUES.

Now the last one. It was visible from an open door near which Sounak was clicking something inside. Mr.P didn't move close but zoomed in the view and clicked this fraction of the lion.

In case you are new to Hindu mythology, Durga is believed to have used a ferocious lion as her faithful accomplice and transportation during her battle with Mahisasura. Just look at those deadly dental arrangement (an artists impression of what nature can put inside the companion of a Goddess on a mission). But this fearsome sight brings out only the feeling of joy when a person like me (who, even after staying in Kolkata, has missed the Durga Puja in 2009) looks at them in 2010. I call this picture CARNIVAL CANINES.

After this clicking mission was over, we realised that it was just a quarter of the fun. Near the Bagbazaar level crossing, we saw Santanu Moitra in a car with about five of his friends. (that bald head, that French cut beard, those typical broad framed spectacles are recognisble anywhere). Moreover I didnt think over it twice before walking up to his car and confirming our hunch by directly looking at his face. (no... the autograph part happened later).

We then, were looking for some evening snacks. Cha. We located a shop called Bachhu Singh (the spelling may be incorrect). We had the most splendid tea there (a kind of significant milestone in itself that evening). If any of you ever come across that shop, please convey our thanks to Bachhu Singh.

Then we caught a Metro from Shova Bazaar. Sounak and I were to get down at Tollygung and Rashmila at Jatin Das Park. But near Chandni Chowk or somewhere we all three decided to get down at JD Park. Why?? To listen to a fabulous song from a Bengali movie - Autograph. The song is called "Amake Amar Moton Thakte Dao" (let me be the way I am) and can be an instant favorite to anyone who listens to it. After listening to it twice, Sounak and I continued from there to Tollygung, where again we had to get a little wet in the rain. But the smss at 8pm confirmed that we all three reached home with a memory of a fantastic evening, both in our minds and cameras! :)

Huh... Will not stretch it any long.

A very very big thanks to you for reading till the end. Thank you for your patience!

Please do let me and Mr.P know about your thoughts on this post.

Take care, bye. :)