Artisans facing uncertain future due to mass production of ‘gods’

Agencies
September 9, 2018

Mysuru, Sept 9: Traditional idol makers of city are dwindling fast with rapid commercialisation of the festival and the entry of plaster of Paris (POP) and paper pulp Ganesha idols from other states.

With Ganesha Chaturthi to be celebrated on September 13 the artisans are worried as general public were losing faith and beauty of plain clay Gowri and Ganesha idols that are produced in the state in the unique Karnataka style.

There is not much time left for the extinction of both our style of idols and the artistes who have the knowledge to make them. It is imminent that the artistes turn to other professions soon, after all, the artistes too have to make a living, a senior Ganesha idol maker said here on Sunday.

“There were nearly 80 to 90 artisan families in Kumbarageri area of the city till two decades ago,” according to Revanna, an artiste specialising in clay models with more than 25 years of experience in the field. Today, one may hardly find about 10 to 15 families engaged in making Ganesh idols, he added.

Besides, the advent of POP idols which are rich in colour and light-weight, have made it difficult for the clay artisans.

“Though the government claims to have banned the POP idols and even made a show of their raids, it is only for publicity and the idols continue to be sold,” said Mr Revanna.

Kumbarageri has also seen a migration of artisan families in search of greener pastures and some of them have resettled in other parts of the city.

The Kumbarageri area itself has become highly commercialised with dense growth and does not permit the traditional way of functioning on roadsides by dumping huge quantities of clay. Hence some families have migrated to Koorgalli, Hebbal and surrounding areas where they continue to make Ganesh idols.

It takes the artisans anywhere between four to six months to prepare and make the idols. But with assembly line production of idols that flood the market, the idols that are locally made tend to be swamped out in the competition, said Mr. Revanna.

Comments

please read in your veda book..dont be foool...most hindus dont know what they religious book says simply depend on poojari...if he say to eat shit they are ready

Mashooq
 - 
Sunday, 9 Sep 2018

Na Tasya Pratima Asti. Dont worship creation. Worship creator.

Joseph
 - 
Sunday, 9 Sep 2018

Ganesha can be exported

Mohan
 - 
Sunday, 9 Sep 2018

Its should be tradition art of karnataka, stop mass production company intervene

Kumar
 - 
Sunday, 9 Sep 2018

Why govt cant take it as part of tourism and govt body with under govt monitoring. It's unique thing of Karnataka.

Ibrahim
 - 
Sunday, 9 Sep 2018

Govt should provide support to artisans. Should have tie up with Karnataka tourism. It should not be limited as seasons

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Media Release
July 31,2020

Mangaluru, July 31: Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has unveiled a campaign both on digital media and outdoor billboards on bringing awareness on the right usage of masks, social distancing and hand washing in the fight against COVID19. The campaign has received very good response and attention on social media and with the citizens of Mangaluru.

While the numbers of Covid-19 infected people were increasing and a vaccine would take some more time it was observed that norms of social distancing and other precautionary practices were thrown to the wind. Many people in Dakshina Kannada were found using masks inappropriately. Wearing a mask in a scientific way by covering both the nose and mouth is imperative to control droplets that spread the virus. We need to rise above our inconvenience to fight the virus.

Considering this the KCCI found an immediate need to bring awareness and constant reminder to people on the right usage of masks, social distancing, washing hands and other dos and don’ts to stay ahead of the virus and beat the pandemic.

A digital campaign and an outdoor advertisement campaign were planned by the chamber to remind and encourage people to follow best practices when interacting with others. 

The theme of the Campaign was decided to be “Let’s Fight Back Together” Origin Designext a Creative Agency in Mangalore was roped in to do the creative for the campaign and a team from KCCI worked with the Agency to shape up the campaign with their inputs. In the meantime Indian Red Cross Society Dakshina Kannada and Rotary Mangaluru expressed their interest to support the Campaign. 

Mangaluru based outdoor agencies like Jyothi Advertisers, Kalkura Advertisers and Gee Dee Advertisers agreed to provide outdoor space gratis to this community service campaign. Presented both in English and Kannada, the campaign has been creating waves on social media and on the street, a sign that it is being very well received by the populace of Mangalore city. 

The creative of Half Covered or Half exposed where a model is shown with a mask that exposes the nose and KA-19 v/s COVID-19 (KA-19 being the Vehicle Registration Code for the District) have been particularly making a buzz in the community. All together 14 hoardings are currently on display with various Covid-19 awareness messages. Many business houses have shown interest to participate in this public awareness campaign.

The Chamber hopes this campaign would go a long way in the fight of the city against COVID-19 and play its role in putting the pandemic behind us. “Businesses and our economy has suffered enough, we need to work together to fight this virus, we need to rise above minor inconvenience and win this war,” says Isaac Vas the President to KCCI.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 26,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 26: The number of COVI D-19 cases in Karnataka spiked to 55 on Thursday after four new cases were reported. 

According to official sources, a 35-year-old man, who was a resident of Nanjanagud town in Mysuru taluk and worked in a pharma unit, tested positive for coronavirus. 

He had been quarantined in his home and efforts are being made to track down as many as seven persons, who had primary contact with 
him.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 8,2020

Mangaluru, May 8: Twenty-two students of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Mudipu on the outskirts of Mangalur city, stranded in Uttara Pradesh due to lock-down reached the campus on Friday morning.

These Class 9 students (12 girls and 10 boys) had studied at JNV Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, as part of an exchange programme, 21 students of Amroha campus studied in Mudipu. 

While Amroha students could return after completing their studies, the Mudipu students were among many JNV students who were unable to return because of the lock-down.

JNV Mudipu Principal V Srinivasan said the 22 students, along with escorts, reached the campus at 7.15 a.m today.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.