Traditional potters who have taken to making Ganesh idols are facing a major financial crisis.
A majority of them have obtained loans at high interest rates as part of their preparation for the festival. With the chances of celebrating Vinayaka Chavithi on a mass scale on August 22 being remote, going by the spread of COVID-19, the potters are at their wits’ end.
During the festival, Ganesh idols of all sizes are installed in almost every lane and bylane across the district. Last year, more than 6,000 idols of various sizes were installed.
Huge debts
Traditional potters K. Nallappa Kumar and his brother have borrowed ₹15 lakh at high interest rate to purchase materials such as dyes, coconut fibre and plaster of Paris (PoP) with a view to making the idols from March (usually after Holi) at Rudrampeta. Similarly, Bommula Suryanarayana of Syndicate Nagar has invested ₹13 lakh.
A couple of weeks after beginning work on the idols, lockdown was imposed for the first time.
As a result, piles of PoP packets and fresh bales of coconut fibre are lying in the work sheds at many places.
The activity usually fetches work for about 100 labourers for three months, and each of them earns ₹600 for a 12-hour duty per day.
But fortune seems to be not smiling on the more than 30 small and big potters in and around the city as one can see 600 half-finished idols all along the State highway. “There is a belief that if public celebration is stopped for one year, it will be so for two consecutive years,” says Mr. Suryanarayana, expressing fear that such a situation will land them in a debt trap.
‘Promises not kept’
“The TDP government had promised to give us implements under Aadarana. But we did not receive the promised motorised wheels and dyes for idols though we deposited ₹3,000 to ₹6,500 with the BC Corporation,” says Mr. Kumar.
“The government has provided financial aid to all but potters,” he points out, seeking a helping hand at the earliest.
The tale of woe of Daula Ram, a trader in dyes, is similar. Hailing from Pedda Amberpet in Hyderabad, he has invested ₹35 lakh to procure 30 new dyes. In addition to the 70 dyes in his possession, he thought of leasing them all to the idol-makers in Andhra Pradesh. “I have done no business worth the name so far. I have been able to recover only ₹3 lakh,” he rues. COVID-19 has dealt a severe blow on those who eke out a living by making earthen pots that are usually in demand during summer.
“People have a misconception that they will contract coronavirus if they consume water from the traditional pot. As a result, we are unable to clear the stock produced last year,” says Mr. Kumar.
