Within no time, the Durga idol in Behala’s Barisha Club was on every timeline. Netizens could not help but notice how a goddess embodied the simplest of human beings. The images of Goddess Durga with her children tucked in her lap seem to have tugged at the heartstrings.
Conceptualised by Rintu Das and sculpted by Pallab Bhowmick, the idol represents migrant workers. The plight of migrant workers was a talking point during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Several of them embarked on a strenuous journey of covering hundreds of kilometres on foot to reach their native places, forced by joblessness.
Sculptor Pallab Bhowmick works on the idol before it was ready to be displayed.
This year Kolkata’s Barisha Club wanted to show the world how the goddess became one with all and shared the pain that many of her children had to go through.
She wears no jewellery. She does not have weapons. Instead, she holds sacks of food grains with her ten hands. This year, she only carries the weapon to fight hunger.
Like most migrant workers, she also took on the arduous journey of walking with her children. This Durga idol shows the goddess as an ordinary rural Indian woman, doing everything in her capacity to protect her children.
Art Director Rintu Das walked India Today.in through the conceptualization of the idea behind this idol. Rintu Das is a renowned art director who is behind many famous theme-pandals in Kolkata.
He recalled his experience during the lockdown, which eventually gave birth to the idea behind this idol. He said, “Whenever I switched on the TV during this time, I could only see migrant workers walking night after night without food or water. I wanted to worship these workers. I thought to myself, they represent my Durga who walked long distances with their children.”
He said he wanted to worship the Durga “that sold balloons or worked at hotels to feed her children.”
“This year, the budget was very tight. I was given a budget five times less than last year, but I took it as a challenge. The councillor in the area had distributed rice during the lockdown. I asked for the sacks. I said this year my pandal would be made using these sacks,” Rintu Das said. He also said that he did not take any fee for himself.
When asked about the choice of colour of the idol, he said, “I was clear that I am not going to paint the idol. I did not want the idol to look like a doll. I wanted to keep my Durga as real as possible.”
He pointed out children are oblivious to the crisis around them. They are not affected by what is going around them. Hence, Lord Ganesha was portrayed as a child, unfazed by the crisis.
Pallab Bhowmick, the artist who gave shape to Rintu Das’ concept threw light on what made the idol different. The unique feature of this idol is that it wouldn’t be immersed but kept as an art exhibit in one of the museums.
This is not a typical clay idol, but an idol made in fiberglass that would be preserved for years to come. Pallab said it took at least two months to sculpt it.
He said, “Even though making the idol in fiberglass was costly, I had to make it in a way in which it could be preserved for a much longer time. The concept was very special and I did not want this idol to be immersed like the other ones.”
However, this is not going to be the idol that would be worshipped at the pandal. This idol represents the theme of this particular club, the social message they want to convey. A traditional Durga idol would be worshipped and offered prayers.
Speaking on the popularity of social media, Pallab said, “I am not much into social media, few friends had put up the photos. I was taken by surprise when I learnt of the kind of applaud it received. I did not expect this sort of popularity. After the images went viral, I received several calls from different artists and media outlets who were impressed by the work.”
However, such recognition often comes with criticism. A few people on social media claimed that the idea was a rip-off from artist Bikash Bhattacharjee’s ‘Darpamoyee’.
This #DurgaPuja, a #Kolkata artist duo have re-imagined Goddess Durga as a migrant mother carrying her children (right)
It is inspired by legendary artist Bikash Bhattacharya’s 1989 painting titled “Dwarpamoyee” from his Durga series (left)
Courtesy: Debraj Goswami / FB pic.twitter.com/KRfRGgEEAa
— Indrajit Kundu | – (@iindrojit) October 17, 2020
In Darpamoyee, Bhattacharjee painted Goddess Durga as an ordinary woman with a child in her lap. Speaking on this, Rintu Das said he has been an admirer of Bhattachargee’s work and has often been inspired.
He said, “I don’t deny that I was inspired by Bhattacharjee’s Darpamayee. My concept was of course inspired by his painting. But it is not right to call it copied. I gave shape to my idea through a different medium. His was a painting, mine is a sculpture. There is nothing similar about the composition.”
“If we cease to get inspired by other people’s art, then there is no way for art to evolve,” he added.
As a tribute to the struggle of migrant workers, artist at Barisha club Durga Puja in Kolkata have imagined Goddess Durga as a migrant mother. #ReporterDiary @iindrojit #DurgaPuja
More videos: https://t.co/FAHzdk9TO8 pic.twitter.com/JLVzUBSu6w— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 17, 2020
Pallab was also of the same opinion and said, “There is a difference between getting inspired and copying. It’s social media, everyone can say what they want with little or no experience.”
The wide-spread appreciation for the idol outweighed the minor criticism by leaps and bounds.
Once again, as Kolkata gears up for its biggest festival (with adherence to Covid-19 protocols), preparation is in full swing to welcome Goddess Durga, who is treated as the daughter who comes to her maternal house every year from Kailash.