The "world's biggest Durga" has been dismantled but the spotlight hasn't shifted from size this festive season.
Ahead of Kali Puja on Tuesday, Kumartuli has reported a surge in the sale of large idols, although nowhere near matching the 88ft behemoth at Deshapriya Park that had brought south Calcutta to a standstill on Panchami.
Not only is the average Kali taller than last year, the goddess would also have the "tallest Lakshmi idol" for company at a Chhoti Diwali event in Salt Lake on Tuesday.
"You won't find any big idol left for sale in Kumartuli. Rather, we are hard-pressed to find buyers for the 5 to 6ft idols that would usually be the first to be booked," said artisan Dilip Pal.
The veteran idol-maker knows a thing or two about public taste, having made a Greg Chappell lookalike asura for a Durga Puja pandal in the days when the Aussie coach was the most-hated man in the eyes of Sourav Ganguly fans.
"Kali puja is usually organised by youngsters and the boys are suddenly eager to have a big Kali to flaunt in their pandals even if it means spending a few thousand extra rupees on the idol. I am at a loss to explain what sparked this trend," he said.
Could it be Deshapriya Park? "Quite possible," the artisan said, shaking his head at the suggestion.
Babu Pal, a former secretary of the Kumartuli Mritshilpa Sanskriti Samity, has also been flooded with requests for larger-than-usual idols. "This year, more orders have been placed for large idols."
In previous years, the tallest Kali idol to move out of his workshop would be about 12ft. This year, he has sculpted three idols in the 16 to 18ft range. "I am also making a 26ft tall Kali for a puja in Maniktala," he said.
China Pal, Kumartuli's only woman artisan, reports the same trend. "I am making three 15ft Kali idols. Of them, two are for old clients who wanted a bigger idol than what they took last year," she said.
Jiten Pal, who creates idols for well-known pujas like Bagbazar, Suruchi Sangha and Salt Lake's FD Block, smiled on being asked about the average size of his Kali idols. "Durga pujo y jemon pandal niye, Kali thakurer temni height niye reshareshita purono (Just as there is competition among pandals in Durga Puja, in Kali Puja it is about height). But Deshapriya Park has taken this to a new height."
He has created a 17ft idol with a 7ft crown, which along with the chalchitra (pictorial backdrop of the idol) would measure 30ft and is being advertised as "the 30ft Kali".
"This idol is for a Dhakuria puja that has gone big over the last three years," Jiten said.
He has also made a 16ft Kali for a puja in Alambazar, near the Dunlop bridge. But his biggest creation for this Kali Puja is the 21ft Lakshmi.
The Marwari Sanskriti Manch is adding a Lakshmi arati to its Deepawali Mahotsav for the first time. "We thought of doing something special when we started planning the event three months ago," said Lalit Prahladka, president of the organisation.
He wouldn't admit to being influenced by the pitch for size that had begun around the same time with a teaser campaign by the Deshapriya Park Durga Puja.
Not content with the "tallest Lakshmi idol", as mentioned in its invitation, Marwari Sanskriti Manch will also have the "longest rangoli".
"We are bringing a famous team from Amravati to create a rangoli 125ft in diameter. It will welcome visitors to our venue, the BF Block park, and there will be 10ft high diyas, five on either side, lining the walk up to the deity," Prahladka said.
The final attraction is a fireworks show.
The lure of the "tallest" and the "longest" has done the trick. "We have been swamped by requests for entry cards. People are even offering to pay and we are having to explain that this is not a ticketed event. At this rate, next year we would have to hire the stadium," Prahladka laughed.
After the event, the Lakshmi idol is supposed to be melted on the spot with a hosepipe.
Around 40km away, Kali puja organisers in Naihati, the hub of gigantic Kalis, are smiling. "Calcuttans are perhaps finding it difficult to forget the abrupt shutdown of their biggest Durga and trying to make up with big Kali idols," smiled Tapas Bhattacharya, secretary of the Naihati Bara Kali Puja, which has stood at 22ft for 86 years.
