Basti (UP), Oct 3 (PTI) For 50-year-old Ram Pal, the clay beneath his fingers is more than just raw material. It is a canvas on which, he says, the images of gods and goddesses already live in his mind.
Born blind in both eyes, the artisan from West Bengal has been travelling for nearly 25 years with his family to Baburhawa village in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district, where he spends about six months every year in Chhawani area creating idols of Goddess Durga and Lord Ganesha for the festive season.
With his fingers measuring every curve, contour and proportion, Ram Pal gives shape to idols that local residents say appear remarkably lifelike.
“I do not need my eyes to make the idols. Their form and proportions are already present in my mind and soul,” Ram Pal said, describing his ability as a blessing from God.
Ram Pal belongs to the potter community and comes from a family of artisans. He said he makes around 40 to 50 Durga and Ganesha idols every year with the assistance of his family.
His family travels from Nikunj Nagar in Nawadiha, West Bengal, to Baburhawa around six months before Dussehra. Once the festive season is over and the idols are installed, they return home to Kolkata, where they spend the remaining six months making earthen utensils, toys and other clay articles.
Durga Puja, celebrated during the Hindu month of Ashwin, centres on the worship of Goddess Durga, revered as the embodiment of divine feminine power and traditionally depicted defeating the buffalo demon Mahishasura.
The festival is associated with the triumph of good over evil and culminates around Vijayadashami.
The idols occupy a central place in the celebrations. Traditionally fashioned from clay and painted in vivid colours, they serve as the focal point of worship before being ceremonially immersed in water at the conclusion of the festivities. Lord Ganesha, revered as the remover of obstacles and the deity traditionally invoked before auspicious beginnings, is also widely worshipped during the festive season.
For devotees in Baburhawa and neighbouring areas, however, the idols made by Ram Pal carry an added spiritual dimension.
“People see my idols with a spiritual feeling. They believe that such work by someone who cannot see is possible only through the eyes of the heart,” he said.
Ram Pal said idol-making is the family’s livelihood, but the earnings are barely enough to meet everyday needs.
“Labour and devotion cannot be sold,” he said.
The craft was passed on to him by his father, Vinayak Krishna Pal, who was also a skilled sculptor. Ram Pal said he learnt the intricacies of the craft while working alongside his father.
His brother Sanjay Pal, who died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kolkata, was also born blind and worked as an artisan. Ram Pal said he, his father and Sanjay were all born blind and that his brother had been among those who assisted him in his work.
Ram Pal’s wife, Kanchan Pal, works alongside him, while their two sons, Saurabh Pal, 22, and Hriday Pal, 20, stay in the village and make earthen utensils and other articles. The couple also have a daughter.
The final transformation of the clay figures comes with colour, Ram Pal said, adding that he uses Asian Paints products to give his idols their finished appearance.
His unusual artistry also brought wider recognition in 2020, when Asian Paints honoured him with its “Sharad Samman”. A documentary film was also made on his craft and showcased his work to audiences across the country.
Yet, amid the recognition and the seasonal bustle surrounding his creations, Ram Pal remains focused on the same work his family has practised for generations, allowing his hands, rather than his eyes, to give form to the gods he has carried within him. PTI COR KIS
PRK
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