Jute Durga idol makes it to museum
Idol was created to spread awareness about dying jute industry.
New Delhi: Delhi saw its first “jute” idol on Durga Puja last year. This year, that idol has paved its way from the Arambagh Durga Puja Samiti pandal to the National Crafts Museum, the largest crafts museum in the country.
The 13-foot-tall jute Durga idol was designed by Gouranga Kuila, a Bengal-based artist and winner of the National Award for handicrafts in 2002. It has been presented to the museum by Abhijit Bose, the president of the samiti which is one of the oldest Durga Puja communities in the city and is located at Panchkuian Road.
However, the idol, which took three months to be completed, is yet to be inaugurated officially in the museum.
On asking what made him think of creating an idol out of jute in Delhi, Mr Bose said that he wanted to create awareness about the “dying” jute industry while also helping in reviving it.
“The condition of jute industry in India is very critical today. We decided to go back to our roots and focus on preserving the dying traditional art forms from Bengal. This is the reason last year’s theme was titled ‘In Search of Roots,’” he said.
Not only the main idol, but the pandal was also the first of its kind and was made entirely out of jute. It was designed by Subrata Kar, who made his first jute Durga idol in Kolkata in 2015. The pandal gate, with a 45-foot-high artwork of a woman holding a diya, also signified hope for the dying industry.
“Since the idol is environment friendly, we couldn’t immerse it. So, I wanted to preserve it. After the festival was over, I started contacting Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum, National Museum of India, and other organisations. Then I thought since it is a part of handicraft, why not preserve it in the crafts museum. I wrote to them and they agreed to showcase it. It’s been 20 days since the idol has been installed in the “West Bengal Hut.” It will be inaugurated officially in the next few days,” Mr Bose said.
He believes that the government should promote the jute industry by making the use of jute products mandatory.
“I have made an effort to revive the dying art form by preserving the idol in the museum. However, only when the people start using jute products will the industry become competitive and sustainable again,” said Mr Bose.