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“Jani na bhogoban keno shashti dichhe (don’t know why God is punishing us),” said idol maker Mala Pal, as she repaired a damaged Durga idol in her studio on Tuesday. The alleys of Kumartuli were still wet after heavy rain lashed Kolkata on Dwitiya morning, leaving the city waterlogged and paralysed.
For Kumartuli’s idol makers, the overnight downpour was more than an inconvenience — it was a race against time gone horribly wrong. “We are not in a position to deliver any idols today. Water entered my studio and an idol got damaged. I have to redo it. It was meant for a barir pujo tomorrow,” said Mala, pausing briefly before getting back to work.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rain was triggered by a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. While Kolkata battled flooded streets and transport snarls, Kumartuli’s lanes were submerged, making movement impossible.
Kartick Pal, secretary of Kumartuli Mrit Shilpi Samiti, said deliveries were stalled through Tuesday morning. “We have asked customers not to come today. There are no coolies. There is water everywhere,” he said. Some idol makers managed to send off idols late Monday night wrapped in plastic sheets, but once the water entered the lanes, everything came to a standstill.
At 3am, artisan Jhantu Paul went live on Facebook to show his workshop floor underwater. “A few idols have been delivered but some are still in the studio, submerged. We don’t know what will happen now. Hope customers understand,” he said.
The water receded by noon but left behind slush, delaying work further. By 4pm, deliveries resumed with workers wading through mud to push out idols and load them in trucks.
The nearby Kumartuli Sarbojonin pandal was also briefly flooded, with plywood flooring damaged. “We will have to work to fix the damage,” said Debashish Bhattacharya, executive committee member of the puja committee.
With Shasthi just five days away and Bodhon rituals scheduled soon, Kumartuli is in a last-minute rush to make up for lost hours. The looming forecast of more rain in south Bengal has left idol makers anxious, hoping that the weather will hold so that every idol reaches its destination on time.
