“My name is Gopal. I am from Kolkata and have been making idols for nearly 30 years. For the last eight or nine years, I have also been coming to Hyderabad for this work.

I learnt this craft around Kumartuli, working with bamboo, straw and clay. Even here, the clay comes from Kalighat in Kolkata. It is brought by truck one or two months before we begin, and once it arrives, our busy season starts.

Around 25 of us work here, mostly from West Bengal. We make around 300 Ganesha idols and 200 Durga Mata idols every year. For Bengalis, Durga Puja is the biggest festival, but for us, these months are also the busiest time. This is how we earn for our families, so there is a lot depending on the work we do now.

Everyone has a role. Some prepare the bamboo and straw structure, the kathamo. Others work with the clay, while some take care of the hands, clothes and other details. We work long hours as the festival gets closer. There is always work to finish.

I have seen idol-making change over the years. POP is being used more, while clay has reduced. But I have spent nearly 30 years working with clay. This is the craft I learnt from those before me, and I continue to follow it.

When the idol is ready, I feel happy knowing how much work has gone into it. But I also think about home. Whatever we earn helps our families through the year. I feel that money is Maa Durga’s blessing for us. When I return to Kolkata, I will carry gifts for my daughters. After spending months here working on Maa Durga’s idols, taking something home for them makes me very happy.

That is why this work means so much to me. We make the idols for people to celebrate, but through this work, Maa Durga also takes care of our families.”