Sambalpur: Whole Family are Clay Artists, Ancestral Profession Survives

Sambalpur: India is a land of art and culture. It can be seen everywhere, be it worship, festivals, or public gatherings. In all these festivals and journeys a unique combination of traditional artefacts can be seen. Murti Puja is one of the most important in Indian culture. Especially for this, there are sculptors in different parts of the country.

It is a difficult business to be a clay artist in the modern era. It is not easy to maintain one’s ancestral profession in such a critical time. The incident of a family of Sambalpur Metropolitan Corporation making clay idols has paved the way for other idol artisans.

Shyam Sundar Rana of Chaurpur village under SMC Ward No.1 and his family have been making clay idols for generations. From his ancestors, his family worked on sculptures that have survived to this day. He has been doing this since he was studying in the seventh standard. His family builds idols for festivals and pujas held at different times of the year. Shyam Sundar said that they make idols starting from 100 rupees to 25 thousand rupees. Not only the idol building work but also various types of building work and painting work are done in the temple. At other times, they build cement effigies of different people, Mr. Rana said. It is difficult to collect suitable clay for making sculptures. I earn 25 to 30 thousand rupees per month by making idols and other works. However, this amount is less than the average salary of a family of 5 people. He has expressed that his nephew Rajshawar also cooperated in this work.

At present, many arts are becoming extinct in India. If the sculptors are not encouraged, this art will also gradually disappear. In the modern era of Plaster Paris and other metal sculptures, it is a tough job to be a clay sculptor. In this regard, there is a need for special measures to be taken by the government.