Clay Images of West BengalCalcutta Notes 13th October 1980 Maniktola-4 Ghose Lane (off Vivekananda Road). Very tall reception hall with rooms leading off. In the North (?) Vivekananda end was the image on a dias set amongst pillars. Above was a crest in pseudo-British style-2 lions holding a wheel with a date 1856. This date is when Ghirishchandra Ghose decided to 'bring' the puja from his village and have it permanently in Calcutta residence. 5 generations of Ghose family were on the walls of this hall-paintings and photos. This image had been made by Prodip and was highly decorated with shaj. It has math chauni and pats in each of deep reddish colour-ask prodip who did the pats. The lion is modern. The demon is green. Not that tall and image. Tapan Ghose told me a few things. I was told by another that the adibari is in a village in the Hooghly district and there is chandimandap with straw rood. It was set up in 1685. This is when the puja first started in this family. It must be remembered that this is not a royal family nor is the house in Ghose Lane a rajbari. This family became wealthy during the British rule. The Marble Palace-met the historian Hirendra Mallik who told me that the family doesn't do Durga puja just Kali, Rathyatra, Sarasvati-the Vaishnava pujas NB. Kumartuli-most of the images being finished off because today most of them get collected. Prodip's studio will be cleared out today. His Okalbodan is finished. In that shed too were 2 small Durga images (one in ghora singho which will be finished tomorrow), a large aladha Durga are in the other store. In this other store 2 fairly large Durga images (ekchala) were being completed-dressed totally in shola with shola chal decorations but pat also. A small modern style Durga (I helped with painting Kartik's eyes). A large Durga (aladha)-which will have the 2 separate stages, one with G + L, one with S + K). The one in the other store will have the Astamahavidyas lined up in the alleyway-the Shyama Kali is one of them. P is also making an elaborate aladha Durga in ornate Ajanta style. One thing I realised is that each studio is different but that in one studio theremay be several different types ranging from classical to modern. 14th October 1980 - Kalighat and Kumartuli 15th October 1980 - Kumartuli, Kalighat, Bhaskar Chunder's house and Hazra 16th October 1980 - Nimtala Ghat and Datta bari 17th October 1980 - Kumartuli, Dutta house and Banerji house of Nafar Kundu Road 18th October 1980 - Krishnanagar 19th October 1980 - Shibnibash and Krishnanagar rajbari 21st October 1980 - Calcutta, Nafar Kundu Road 22nd October 1980 - Kumartuli and Kalighat 27th October 1980 - Kalighat and Patuapara 29th October 1980 - Asu Datta's house 30th October 1980 - Tarakeswara, Radhanagar, Gopalnagar, Krishnanagar 31st October 1980 - Tarakeshwara and Kolimbar village |