- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, February 02, 2022 : Keeping in view of the COVID-19 surge, Tripura is gearing-up to celebrate Saraswati Puja across the northeastern state in a low-key manner.
All the educational institutions comprising – schools, colleges, coaching centers and universities are likely to worship the goddess of knowledge and arts, but the demand for clay-made idols is less compared to previous years.
This year, the idol makers claimed that the pre-puja market in the state is dull as the demand is less in comparison to last year.
A well-known idol artisan in Agartala – Uttam Chakraborty, told Northeast Today that sales are down this year because there are only a few orders for larger-sized idols, which help us make some money.
“Pujas are performed to carry the tradition forward. Hence, most of the customers choose small idols. Even the prestigious institutions are celebrating this puja with grandeur with small idols”, he added.
Claiming the business running at loss, Chakraborty said “It would become difficult for me to pay wages of my co-workers if such a situation of the market continues”.
He demanded that the government should come forward for the idol makers and artisans with a relief package.
Other idol makers in and around Agartala city echoed the same like Uttam Chakraborty and they are in great distress and held the pandemic responsible in bringing disturbances in everyone’s life.
