Arindam Ganguly
Bhubaneswar, Oct 5: Talent has no limits; it doesn’t see the person’s age or background. This statement holds true for a 13-year-old kid, Pabitra Samantray, who at this tender age of learning has been making breathtaking idols of Goddess Durga year after year.
Making an idol of Hindu gods and goddesses is a long process, and pulling it off with perfection surely requires much dedication and hard work. “I had a dream and in it I heard someone whispering to me that I should continue making these idols and all my problems will be taken care of,” he says.
Whether the voice he heard was a figment of his imagination or he was actually touched by the ‘holy’ is another subject, but crafting Durga’s idol with the precision he achieves is something commendable.
Now a student of class 8 at a government high school, he started working at the age of nine and has been making Durga’s idol since. “I used to make idols from mud when I started, but there used to be cracks in it and it broke,” he says.
Watching his uncle work at his studio inspired him a lot and he followed everything he taught him. “I imagine a picture and give the shape to the idols according to it. I started using straw and tied it with jute strings to give the idols their shape. Then, I applied clay on the structure to give it the look,” he says.
Pabitra belongs to a poor family who live in Laxmisagar area of Bhubaneswar. His father is a carpenter with low income. Initially, Pabitra’s family, especially his mother, did not appreciate his passion and said it would bring bad fate to the family.
However, this changed after the kid described his dream to his family. His neighbours also have been providing the family with some support so that the boy can continue to do what he loves.
Durga is the symbol of power and fearlessness. “This festival epitomises the victory of good over evil,” he says.
One of the kid’s biggest supporters is Dilip Parida, who also happens to be his neighbour. He helps him because, he says, he doesn’t want his talent to go waste. “He is a good kid and also sings well. Besides being good in studies, he has won many competitions. He comes in top three at exams in his class,” he says.
Pabitra says Minister Ashok Panda has assured the people of his community that he would grace them with his presence at their pandal this Durga Puja.
Tulasi, his mother, says: “Earlier, I used to be angry with him for his love for idol making, but after watching people praising him I also started encouraging him. For us to support him with monetary help is very tough. But, with god’s grace and neighbours’ help we can.”