Sacred Synthesis : God[maker]s of Kumartuli
Typology – Research Publication
Book- AVANI Annual Research Symposium 2022 : friction
Authors - Priyanka Mukherjee & Ujjayant Bhattacharyya
The Durga puja is a celebration where the Goddess descends into the city as it transforms into a surreal event of fantasies & ethereal tectonics. Amid these new emerging cartographies, the urban fabric transforms into an exhibition. While the city indulges in the romanticized product, the artist however succumbs to the realities of the harsh world and fails to narrate the importance and circumstance of the extensive process in and of its subaltern situations. Kumartuli is a densely populated labyrinth with layers of spatial conversations, traditional knowledge, dwellings & workshops, through which men, women, children, Gods, and Goddesses alike craft their way. The research intends to delve deeper into the aspirations, dwelling patterns, and spatial vocabularies of these invaluable craftsmen. It shall strive to lead to a set of understandings, analyses, and recommendations of suitable methodologies for the revival and renewal of the idol-making community of Kumartuli while addressing multiple underlying issues in the wake of Craft, Dwelling, and Festivities.