20th September 1980
a.m.Kumartuli. Discussed question above with Prodip. There are 2 types of kathamo puja: a) when a long stick (@ 4') is worshipped on Janmasthami (because J is a holy day) and then given to the kumars to construct the image b) when the platform-also called kathamo-is either borrowed from the kumars or last year's is used for puja and then returned for the making of the image.
Also the flag after puja is paraded around the village for propaganda and erected in an open place to announce the forthcoming puja.
We went to Nimtala, the house of one dutta family. I spoke to one of the descendants, an old man who said their family had been doing Durga puja for 200 years. Before Raja Nabakrishna Deb (who arrived in Cal at the time of the East India Co). This image was approx 8' and was the traditional Bangla style face with math chauni background. When this math chauni is made there are no pillar formations. The ornaments are first made entirely in clay for this family. The dress of Durga is clay. After painting, laods of Dak shaj (tin foil) is added and the whole image almost drips with decoation. I was shown an old photograph taken @ 50 years ago. The lion is highly decorative. In each of the 3 math chalchitras are the paintings. Each household has different paintings.
Yesterday P told me that he thought the original archway and 2 pillars design came from the old pats (I disagreed).
This old house (typical of the old houses of Calcutta) had this kind of archway. Inside was a singhason (throne) in which the Dp image would be placed at the time of puja (at the north? end of the quadrangle).
P hypothesised that Daker shaj came when tin foil was first available. The image of Kartik is dressed in pants (European style) and a broad-brimmed hat after the style worn by Rammohan Ray. The demon has half-pants. The breasts of Durga and the 2 female figures are peculiar. There is a sharp line down the middle and the actual breasts are very small like egg cups. The intermediate kind of face between the traditional Bangla and the modern is called dobhanga-ask Prodip again. There is also a certain kind of wood (rich red colour with peeling mottled look) bought from the Sunderbans used for kathamo.
P used some red and green tin foil from West Germany on the top part of the chalchitra.
I also met a young man called Bapi who is P's pupil and makes extremely large and new style images for Sarvojanin puja. He also showed me the photo of the first separate (ahlada) Dp image initiated by P's great uncle, Gopeswar Pal-ask for the negative! Also one of Bama Kali in which she could easily be mistaken for Siddeshwari Kalu because Shiva lies diagonally and Kali is robed in a broad dress that covers her feet. Except that she is carrying in the top left a curved sword and a sword in her bottom left and discus in her top right. P suggested making small images of different kinds of Dp image for exhibition. Back in Kumartuli I saw Okala Bodhan image being prepared. An image of Hanuman and another of Lakshamana stand separate. Other studios were also making this kind of image. I also happened to notice the big Ganesh image's kathamo. The iamge had been immersed and reclaimed (at the price of Rs8) from the buyers by the kumar who would set to work on next year's model.
Also saw an image of Gaja Lakshmi (for worship during Laksmi puja/Diwali). It's called Komala-Kamini. 2 elephants either side of Lakshmi.
Discussed the use of cloth with P. (I had noticed yesterday in Ramlal Bazaar that the images of Dp being made by profulla had cloth under the balu mati). The cloth is used to strengthen joints i.e. elbows, knees, hands etc. and to keep the head on. The head is 'bandaged' onto the neck to give the back of the head a smooth finish as well, I suspect.
pm.Dum Dum para with Ajit Bhattacharya. Biskarma pujas still around today. I was told by P that thakur refers to all images of either sex whereas pratima specifically refers to the feminine.
21st September 1980 - Rajbari and Kalighat
24th September 1980 - Kumartuli
26th September 1980 - Victoria Memorial
27th September 1980 - Kalighat
29th September 1980 - Kalighat
30th September 1980 - Kumartuli and Kalighat