News Desk :
The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to artisan pottery. A vast majority of the factories are facing work-order cancellations while many have been denied payment.
With the income drying up, workers are now staring at an uncertain future, reports bdnews24.com.
The Bangla calendar is used for scheduling Hindu festivals such as pujas. Workers usually start the process of making idols for pujas in the month of Baishakh. However, most of them are now unemployed due to a shortage of work at the factories.
A large number of the hereditary idol makers in Chattogram hail from the greater Faridpur region. Most of the employees working in idol-making factories are from Shariatpur, Netrokona and Faridpur. The workers had moved backed to their homes at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March.
The arrangements for Basanti Puja were spoiled by the virus with the organisers cancelling the work orders. Now, potters are in a quandary over the upcoming Durga Puja.
“We need the guidance of the government and the puja committee on whether the Durga Puja will be organised this year or not,” Ratan Pal, president of the Chattogram Potters Association, told bdnews24.com.
“It takes a long time to prepare for Durga Puja and many toil for three to five months. But this year we are facing a crisis. We do not know whether to begin the preparations. If we are given a month’s notice before the start of the puja, we will not be able to complete our work.”
The lion’s share of workers’ earnings is generated during the Durga Puja festival.
“Nowadays, we work throughout the year but this year has been an exception,: said Ratan.
“Basanti Puja was cancelled. Afterwards, there has not been any work for four months. The savings are also about to run out. What will happen to us if no pujas are held?”
While preparations for Durga Puja start in Baishakh, other idols and statues are sculpted throughout the year, according to the potter of Chattogram.
The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to artisan pottery. A vast majority of the factories are facing work-order cancellations while many have been denied payment.
With the income drying up, workers are now staring at an uncertain future, reports bdnews24.com.
The Bangla calendar is used for scheduling Hindu festivals such as pujas. Workers usually start the process of making idols for pujas in the month of Baishakh. However, most of them are now unemployed due to a shortage of work at the factories.
A large number of the hereditary idol makers in Chattogram hail from the greater Faridpur region. Most of the employees working in idol-making factories are from Shariatpur, Netrokona and Faridpur. The workers had moved backed to their homes at the start of the coronavirus outbreak in March.
The arrangements for Basanti Puja were spoiled by the virus with the organisers cancelling the work orders. Now, potters are in a quandary over the upcoming Durga Puja.
“We need the guidance of the government and the puja committee on whether the Durga Puja will be organised this year or not,” Ratan Pal, president of the Chattogram Potters Association, told bdnews24.com.
“It takes a long time to prepare for Durga Puja and many toil for three to five months. But this year we are facing a crisis. We do not know whether to begin the preparations. If we are given a month’s notice before the start of the puja, we will not be able to complete our work.”
The lion’s share of workers’ earnings is generated during the Durga Puja festival.
“Nowadays, we work throughout the year but this year has been an exception,: said Ratan.
“Basanti Puja was cancelled. Afterwards, there has not been any work for four months. The savings are also about to run out. What will happen to us if no pujas are held?”
While preparations for Durga Puja start in Baishakh, other idols and statues are sculpted throughout the year, according to the potter of Chattogram.
