Pal at his workshop in Siliguri. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, Dec. 4: Bhola Pal is the happiest man today.

The artisan has been successful in getting back his client from the Darjeeling hills who, after a gap of two long years, placed an order of four Ma Chamunda idols with him today.

Subash Ghisingh, the “client”, had summoned Pal to Pintail village located on the outskirts of the city. “He called me today and asked for four Chamunda idols. I am glad that he remembers me well, even after a gap of two years,” said Pal after he met Ghisingh.

Pal was the one who made the 18-handed idol of Devi Durga, which Ghisingh used to worship till 2004. “I had made the idols for him for five consecutive years. But in the last two years, he had not placed any orders,” Pal said.

Ghisingh, while talking to reporters, confirmed that he was out to promote the goddess in the hills. “We will place four idols in the Pintail village soon. We also have plans to increase the practice of worshipping Chamunda,” he said. “For this, idols (of the goddess) will be placed across the hills.”

Quizzed on the impulsive change in stance – Ghisingh had been advocating “shilapujan” or the worship of rocks and stones over idols in recent times – the GNLF chief said: “Since Bengalis are artistic, I chose Chamunda, a Bengali goddess, to show my veneration.”

About the details of the idols, the “Bengali” artisan said: “Each figure will be more than six feet in height. I will first make clay models. Then I will talk to them (GNLF leaders) to finalise the raw material to be used. It might be of fibre glass, stone or bronze.”