Muslim Artisans Are the Backbone of Odisha’s Durga Puja Pandals
Muslim artisans supply decorative ornamental pieces for Durga Puja pandals in Cuttack, Odisha.
Away from the buzz of beef politics in the national arena, Izmat Khan, an artisan in his early forties, is putting the final touches to the tableaux for Durga Puja in a busy market area of Cuttack city in Odisha.
The millennium city, Cuttack, houses some heart-warming examples of communal harmony. In the Banka Bazar area of the city, generations of Muslim families have been traditionally supplying decorative items for Durga Puja.
Izmat started working on the decorative pieces two-three months before Dusshera. Now he and his family members are in a rush to wrap up their work before festival day.
I have been working since the last 25 years. My father was also doing this work. We have been doing this tableaux work over generations. We have never faced any discrimination. The Puja Committee members always behave nicely with us.
— Izmat Khan, Tableaux Artisan
The Banka Bazar area houses a cluster of Muslim families who are known for their artistic decorations for Durga idols and the pandals. They supply the pieces for the tableaux and also the headgears, earrings and other sundry decorations for the Durga idols.
The Puja committees in Cuttack have never faced a problem with these artisans. The Durga Puja organisers revere the artistic work and the communal harmony behind it.
Art does not differentiate between Hindu and Muslim. Traditionally, Muslim families have been doing tableaux decoration work for us. They are very talented artists. It’s a pleasure for us that they are participating in our festivals. It’s a contribution to our communal harmony.
— S Karmakar, Joint Secretary, Durgabari Puja Samiti, Cuttack
The ornamental pieces are made using golden paper, glitter, mirrors, golden wires and Indian cork, locally known as Sola. This work, popular for its artistic brilliance, is locally famous as Zari Medha (tableaux) work.
The artisans also supplying these pieces for other Hindu festivals like Ganesh Puja, Kali Puja and Laxmi Puja.
One tableau ranges between Rs 30 thousand to two lakh; it all depends on the kind of artistic work involved. The centuries-old artwork is a collective effort of all the family members of the Muslim artisans.
Cuttack is famous internationally for its silver filigree work. Though many Puja committees are gradually moving to silver tableaux, the demand for Zari Medha has not been affected.
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