When I had been home, my Dad told me the story of how Ganesh idols used to be made way back...around 35 years ago.
There used to be a old man who used to make the idol in our famil home. He used to come around a month back to our home and stay there. He would collect clay from the nearby forests.This clay would then be immersed in water for a week or so to make it soft. The clay would then be pounded for a number of days using a pestle making the clay soft enough to be moulded.
Over a period of days the idol form would come to shape. This would happen over a number of days where the kids of the house would watch in awe. Once the idol was ready, the colouring took place. For colours, the artist would collect different type of stones, which he would scratch against each other, after making them wet. The entire idol would be painted using colours from different stones. BUT the eyes would never be painted till the last moment.
Just before the pooja, the eyes would be painted in. This would take place to ensure the idol retained its purity till the last moment. Unlike today were the idols are sold on the road without any care about its purpose. Now I am not being a religious purist, but this is just to narrate the process.
The same person would come every year and repeat the same, and this would bring a different feel alltogether to the entire festival. Such Artists are rarely found today. The Artists have shifted to more of look and style rather than the purity. ITs a show more than a festival...OR so It looks to me...
Lets hope we still have these pure artists still, and encourage them if we ever come across them..:)
till then
Cheers!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment