Ajay Chakravarty draws the eyes of the tallest Durga idol near Beldih Kalibari on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Ajay Chakravarty was focus personified as he deftly lined the devi’s clay eyes with a chiyari (a small, sharp piece of wood) on Tuesday afternoon.

The 62-year-old artisan from Kolaghat, in West Midnapore district of Bengal, and his men are busy making Durga idols in Jamshedpur, including the tallest one near Beldih Kalibari in Bistupur.

While his four protégés, who arrived in the steel city a month ago, are taking care of the rest of the pratima (idol), the bespectacled master believes in his own training when it comes to drawing the eyes of the goddess. “The eyes are a reflection of the soul. So, I take special care to etch them on clay. The eyes of Durga must pronounce a mix of traditional beliefs and modern art,” Chakravarty explained.

The artisan, who picked the “art of eye-making” from his late father Shaktipado Chakravarty, added that he felt proud when Puja revellers appreciated the eyes of the goddess, especially those of the idol at Beldih Kalibari pandal.

“The 18ft Durga pratima in traditional daker saaj (silver foil embellishment) at Beldih Kalibari is the tallest in Jamshedpur. We have been making it for the past several years. A lot of effort goes into making the idol stand out. One has to climb to a great height to focus on the eyes,” Chakravarty said, adding that the clay idol would be coloured in two-three days’ time.

There are two kinds of embellishments that are used on clay — sholar saaj and daker saaj. In the former, the pratima is traditionally decorated with the white core of the shola reed, which grows in marshlands. As devotees grew wealthier, beaten silver (rangta) was used. The silver used to be imported from Germany and was delivered by post (dak). Hence, the name daker saaj.

The master said that the eyes of the devi he drew carried a special meaning.

“Unlike Durga idols elsewhere, the goddess at the Beldih pandal looks straight at her devotees. It makes her more awe-inspiring. I make the eyes keeping the legend of Mahishasur vadh in mind,” Chakravarty said.

According to him, chitta soil is used on the eyes and face. “We first apply Ganga mati and follow it up with the chitta variety, which is sticky and wears properly on the idol. White, red and black paint will be applied on the eyes in a day or two. But, the devi will open her eyes on September 23, the day of Mahalaya,” the veteran artisan, who has been making idols for more than four decades now, said.

Besides Chakravarty, the other artisans who are working with him are Biswanath Rana, Bimal Khada, Kamal Chakravarty and Montu Baag, all from Kolaghat.

Beldih Kalibari apart, the team is also making Durga pratimas for Puja organisers in Kadma, Telco, Sakchi and Sonari. All idols will be handed over on September 30, the day of Mahashasthi.

Arup Gupta, a resident of Sonari who had dropped by at the idol-making venue with his young son on Tuesday, claimed they never missed visiting the Beldih Kalibari pandal. “I come to see the giant idol of Durga. Her eyes say it all,” he said.