Will it take the goddess of learning to preach the importance of social harmony and conservation of nature, which is of utmost significance today?
Abhijeet Chakraborty (52), a finance officer of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Dhansar, is trying to find out the answer with his creation of goddess Saraswati's idol for Black Diamond Club puja at Koylanagar in Dhanbad this year. With just two days left for Saraswati Puja on February 13, Chakraborty has completed the eight-feet structure, a combination of temple, mosque, gurudwara and church, inside which he has put a three-and-a-half feet tall idol of the goddess.
While the theme is communal harmony, he has used environment-friendly raw materials like thermocol, earthen lamps and pots, coconut fibre and its dust for making the entire piece.
The outer structure is made of thermocol and decorated with 1,000 earthen diyas and pots. The idol is made of 150kg of coconut fibre and dust.
"I have carved the places of worship of four major religions of India in one frame to give the message of humanity which is core of all faiths. I also want to promote earthen diyas which are on the verge of being obsolete," he said, adding that less than Rs 1,500 had been spent.
Chakraborty, who has been making the idol of goddess Saraswati for the last 40 years, has this time made the entire structure in around 50 days.
Posted at mines rescue department of BCCL in Dhansar, Chakraborty said he worked till late night after returning home in Koylanagar.
Born and brought up in Ranchi, Chakraborty started making Saraswati idols at his house as a 12-year-old. He continued even after shifting to Dhanbad 25 years ago.
He added though for the first 17 years he had made clay idols but later started making them with special materials, focusing on pertinent issues.
Earlier he had made the idols using wood dust (2007), artificial pearls (2008), jute (2009), soap (2010), coal (2011) and loincloth (2012).
?"I used to worship goddess Saraswati at my home in initial years in Dhanbad but for the last 12 years, I'm making idols for the Black Diamond Club where Nari Shakti Samiti, an association of BCCL officers' wives, celebrates the festival," said Chakraborty.
He further said his family comprising mother Manju Chakraborty, wife Shashwati and daughter Shreshta also gave some finishing touches to the idol and the structure.
