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

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News Network
January 26,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 26: A 55-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly attacking his sister-in-law and her daughter with acid used to make rubber sheets in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, police said on Saturday.

The victim, a 35-year-old widow with three daughters, has been admitted to the government Wenlock Hospital here with severe burns. Her daughter, who suffered minor injuries, is also hospitalised.

In her complaint, the woman said her late husband's elder brother came to her house on Thursday, abused her in foul language before opening an acid bottle and throwing its contents at her through the window.

The woman suffered burn injuries on her face, neck and shoulders and her daughter on her legs and hands.

The victim's husband had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from a cooperative bank but died in 2018 after paying only two instalments and the woman could not repay it further.

The bank's notices kept coming to the elder sibling's address, which infuriated him. There was also a long-pending land dispute between the two, sources said.

Based on the woman's complaint, a case was registered on Friday and the man arrested soon after. Kadaba sub-inspector police Rukma Naik visited Wenlock

Hospital to record the woman's statement, police added.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 10: Renowned ophthalmologist and Narayana Nethralaya Chairman Dr K Bhujang Shetty today advised those wearing contact lenses to switch to eyeglasses as a preventive measure.

“Though the facial mask is mandatory as a preventive measure against the dreaded Coronavirus, not many know that the virus can also enter the body through eyes. Wearing glasses or spectacles reduces the spread of the virus,” Dr Bhujang Shetty said.

Although it is more likely that people may catch Coronavirus infections through mouth and nose, there are chances of the virus also entering through eyes. “In a day, humans tend to touch their face and eyes almost 20 times an hour knowingly or unknowingly. Users of contact lenses end up touching their eyes and face frequently, increasing the risk of infections. Therefore, it is advisable that they switch to eyeglasses until the situation improves”, according to a release here on Friday.

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News Network
March 14,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 14: Infosys carried out evacuation at one of its satellite offices here on Friday after an employee came in contact with a suspected case of COVID-19, according to the company.

"We have taken a decision to evacuate one of our satellite buildings in Bengaluru as a precautionary measure, as one of our employees had been in contact with an individual with suspected COVID-19," the company said in its statement.

"Employees have been directed to work from home, and there is no impact on our client deliverables as a result of this temporary evacuation," it added.

On the other hand, Google also informed media on Friday that an employee at its Bengaluru office has tested positive for the COVID-19 and the firm has directed all its employees in that office to work from home as a precautionary measure.

"We can confirm that an employee from our Bangalore office has been diagnosed with COVID-19. They were in one of our Bangalore offices for a few hours before developing any symptoms. The employee has been on quarantine since then," Google had said in a statement. The search engine giant has asked colleagues who were in close contact with the employee to quarantine themselves and monitor their health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan city of China, has so far spread to more than 100 countries infecting over 1,20,000 people. India has reported two deaths and 82 confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic' and expressed deep concern.

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