Rising prices have affected the sale of idols of Goddess Durga and Kali this year. With paint, clay and varnish getting expensive, the festive season has not caused much fervour for the business.

Eight artists are working round-the-clock at Kali Bari for the last four months, making the statues of Goddess Durga and Kali, but the dwindling business seems to have taken away the charm.

Khokhan Adhikari, in the business for over two decades, says: “We have registered a drop of over 20 per cent this year. Last year, we made as many as 80 statues, but this year we barely touched the 50 mark. Raw material has become very expensive and people too seem to be less interested in buying idols.”

The cost of a sculpture is between Rs 5,000 to 6,000. “If a customer wants, we decorate the idol with lot of jewellery, which increases the cost,” says Adhikari, who is busy giving final touches to the figures.

“We supply sculptures to cities like Ambala, Ropar, apart from the tricity. But the business is at its all time low. Some of the regular customers have not placed any order this year. I do not know if we would be able to even recover the input cost this year,” says Adhikari.

This has also affected the number of workers coming to the city this year. “Last year, over 10 artistes had come from states like Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand. Some of them have not turned up this year as business is not too good,” he says.

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