Aditi Chakraborty is a known name in the Durga Puja circuit, as one of the most sought-after idol makers of Kolkata.Subhamita Dinda, on the other hand, is a debutante, though her husband Sanatan Dinda commands huge respect in the same circuit. In a first, these two women are putting together one of the costliest Durga puja idols and pandals this year. They claim to be the first women-only team in this male dominated profession. Now that’s a reason why Santoshpur Lake Palli Pujo must feature in your must-visits list this year.

Aditi, who is in charge of decorating the pandal, said, “We are trying to present tradi tion in a never-seen-before manner. Our theme is `puja’ itself. We will be making use of many traditional items such as tambul dani and stitch-art that used to adorn the walls of homes in our childhood.”

We went to see the two ladies at work on the day of the khunti pujo, where we met Somnath Das, executive member of Santoshpur Lake Palli pujo. On being asked about the USP of their puja, Das said, “For most pujas these days, the theme is planned first and the idol and the pandal are then crafted around the theme.However, we have decided to keep the idol in focus. There will be many rare materials used in the making of the idol which have never been used for this purpose before. The pandal will feature detailed wood-carvings too.”

Aditi and Subhamita have already started work a couple of months back. On being asked how it is to try to make a footprint in this primarily male-dominated industry, Aditi shrugged it off. “I am an artist.It does not matter whether I am a male or a female. What matters is that the work is done well. My bonding with Subhamita is strong and I am enjoying working with her,” she said.

Subhamita, on her part, promises surprise for the visitors. “All I can say is that people will find it in their heart to fold their hands and pray to the idol, once they see it. But for that, one needs to wait a little bit more,” she signed off.

Reporting done by Pratik Banerjee

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / July 11th, 2016