From Kolkata to Chennai: Pal & sons giving shape to Goddess Durga for 40 years

CHENNAI: As dawn breaks on Mahalaya, marking the beginning of Devi-Paksha and the days leading to Durga Puja, Bengalis in Chennai and across the world gather around the timeless recitation of the Chandipath, first broadcast on Akashvani in 1931. It is also the day when sculptors perform Chokkhu Daan — the sacred ritual of painting the eyes of Goddess Durga.

In a quiet corner of T Nagar, this ritual will be carried out by three brothers from Kolkata, whose carefully crafted idols will soon find their place in pandals across the city, becoming the heart of the Puja celebrations.

For over 40 years, Kishori Mohan Pal, a member of the T Nagar Bengali Association, where Durga Puja celebrations date back to the 1930s, has crafted more than 5,000 idols. In recent years, the responsibility has shifted to his sons – Rinku, Deben, and Tinku – who work out of a modest hut behind a school in the city.

With the festival season approaching, the brothers are busy binding bamboo, straw, and clay, and giving the idols their final touch of colour. “We come here around August. This hut is where we spend all our time during the season. We sleep right next to the idols, sunshine or rain, we never move out,” Rinku told DT Next.

The family, originally from Kolkata, has remained faithful to tradition. “We’ve come a long way to continue this. Every year, we bring clay from the Ganges and also the punya mati (sacred soil), which must be collected from the courtyard of a sex worker’s house for the making of the idol. This might not be Kolkata, but the rituals are the same. Nobody should bypass it,” he said.

On the logistics, Rinku explained that the process has become simpler. “Earlier, it was challenging, but now we book transport in advance. All the clay, ornaments, dresses, and colours are shipped directly from Kumartuli,” he added.

Rinku, who has been in the craft for over 20 years, said the season is always busy, with Bengali associations across Chennai placing their orders with the brothers. “We also make idols for Jagadhatri Puja and Kali Puja during Diwali. Once deliveries are completed, we return to Kolkata,” he added.

In the early 2000s, Chennai had only a handful of Durga Puja celebrations, mainly at the T Nagar Bengali Association, Madras Kali Bari in West Mambalam, and Besant Nagar. “Now, the celebrations have grown. Each association invests heavily. Madras Kali Bari orders fierce-eyed idols. The Dakshin Chennai Prabasi Cultural Association in OMR has also begun requesting them. Since last year, the Assam Spiritual Society in Pallikaranai has joined in as well,” Rinku said.

When asked if they miss home during the festival, Rinku said Chennai was a second home for them with people treating them with warmth and respect. “Students from the nearby school greet us, take pictures of the idols, and often ask about the stories behind them,” he added.

As the brothers prepare to deliver the idols to pandals across the city, the stage is set for pandal-hopping, the resonant beat of the dhak, the evening aarti, and, of course, the festive food. And as every Puja ends, it leaves behind the promise of “aasche bochor abar hobe” — it will all return next year.