“I am from Kolkata, and I have been making clay idols for nearly 20 years. I learnt this craft in Kumartuli, Kolkata’s traditional idol-making area. For the last nine years, I have been coming to Hyderabad during the festival season for this work.

The clay we use comes from Bengal, brought here by truck one or two months before we begin. Around 25 of us, mostly from West Bengal, work together. Every year, we make nearly 500 Ganesha idols and around 250 Maa Durga idols.

Making an idol is teamwork. First, we build the bamboo frame and tie straw around it. We call this structure kathamo. Then we apply clay in layers and let it dry. Some work on the face and finer details. Others make the lion, Mahishasura, weapons, clothes and ornaments.
At the end, we smooth the clay, paint the idol with natural colours and dress Maa Durga with her saree, jewellery and hair. The eyes come last. Until then, it is only clay, straw and colour. Once the eyes are done, it feels like Maa Durga is looking back at us.

As the festival gets closer, we work longer hours. Rain and humidity can slow the drying, but the work cannot stop. There is always another idol waiting.

For Bengalis, Durga Puja is our biggest festival. But for us, these months also mean staying away from home, because this is when we earn for our families.

For months, I make Maa Durga idols for other people’s homes and celebrations, while my own family waits for me. When I return, I take gifts for my daughters. That is what makes me happiest.

I feel whatever I earn through this work is Maa Durga’s blessing. We make her idols for people to worship, and in return, she gives us a way to care for our own families.”

— Dinesh Mondal