A traditional Durga

An 18-ft-high and 24-ft-wide ekchala idol of Durga with her children will slowly take shape in England this autumn.

On August 10, Ruby Palchoudhury of Crafts Council of West Bengal will leave for London with a group of artisans for a ?unique? demonstration cum workshop of traditional crafts, entitled Voices of Bengal, scheduled to start from August 12 and continue till September 25 at the British Museum.

The giant idol will be made on the spot by national award-winning craftsman Nemai Chandra Pal of Krishnagar. ?We have supplied many such traditional idols to museums in Boston and Scotland. But those were below eight ft, so this one will be quite special,? said Palchoudhury.

The workshop will cover every aspect of the idol-making. It will include the traditional rituals performed by artisans before starting on the bamboo armature or drawing the eyes of the goddess. ?Making of Durga idols is quite a unique process. You won?t find any other deity being made out of biodegradable material. So, Pal will be demonstrating the entire process. The goddess will wear the gorgeous daker saaj crown and traditional jewellery made out of foil and beads,? explained Palchoudhury.

In tandem with the idol-making will be traditional crafts workshops for children from more than 100 schools. ?I have heard that scores of them have already registered,? said Palchoudhury. Modhu Pal will teach students to make pith flowers and birds.

They will also learn to make tal patar shepais (palm-leaf stick puppets) and draw patachitras. Patua Gurupada Chitrakar will guide them and sing agomoni songs. Gurupada will also draw the chalchitra of the goddess. Dhakis will drum up the sharadiya mood from September 3.

After September 25, the idol will be handed over to the local Bengali association for the puja rituals and immersion.