Kolkata: Three students from Manindra Chandra College crafted a 1.5ft terracotta Durga idol to carry it to the terracotta land of Bankura, where they will celebrate puja with over 250 underprivileged tribal women and children.Three final-year undergraduate students from the department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vivek Sardar, Priyangshu Ghosh, and Rupam Mistri crafted the idol. They left Kolkata on Saturday with the idol to celebrate Durga Puja with the tribal children and women at Laxmi Murmu School in Jhanti Pahari, Bankura.Speaking to TOI, Vivek said, “None of us have formal training in idol making, and terracotta idol making itself is difficult. However, we worked hard to achieve a vintage look for the Durga idol that resembles the terracotta art of Bankura.”Vivek revealed that they ordered terracotta clay online and learnt the process through online tutorials, supplemented by tips from friends studying sculpture at art college. To give the piece a polished, authentic finish, they visited the Behala-based art collective ‘Chhader Haat’.Biswajit Das, head of the department of Journalism and Mass Communication, said, “We are surprised by how they crafted such an accurate idol without any formal training. Our department has been organizing special Puja Parikramas for the marginalised sections of society for the last 15 years.“We usually distribute new festive clothes, but they requested winter wear because they lack the funds to buy warm clothes,” Das added. In addition, the team is distributing children’s books, notebooks, and pencils, alongside arranging special festive meals during the Puja days.The entire initiative was made possible through student-led fundraising, with students saving from their daily pocket money and festive allowances. Alumni, faculty members across departments, and well-wishers from various parts of the country as well from abroad also contributed to the fund.
