Sudip Sharma Chowdhury & Ariful Islam/Guwahati

She shapes more than idols from clay; she shapes her dreams too. Under her touch, lifeless materials -- clay, fibreglass and cement -- come alive. Whether depicting Goddess Durga, Goddess Basanti or other Hindu gods and goddesses, every idol embodies her artistic spirit, hard work and long struggle through life.

She is Dipika Pal, a resident of Pandu in Guwahati, who has pursued idol-making as her profession for nearly 12 years.

For her, the craft is more than a means of earning a livelihood. It represents her family’s heritage, her father’s memory and a sustained struggle to establish her own identity.

Dipika’s family has long been associated with the art of idol-making. As a child, alongside her studies, she closely observed her father and other family members making idols. She watched clay gradually take shape, and the goddess’s face emerge from it. At that time, she never imagined that this craft would one day become her profession. Yet life sometimes compels people to take decisions they had never envisaged.

Dipika Pal busy with idol making

Dipika is one of three sisters and has no brother, older or younger. When her father died suddenly, the entire responsibility of the family fell on her shoulders. With the burden of running the household on one side and an uncertain future on the other, she faced the difficult task of managing it all. It was during this challenging period that she took up her father’s craft.

In an exclusive interaction with Awaz - The Voice, Dipika Pal said: “I consider it a privilege to make idols of Goddess Durga. After my father’s death, I chose his profession, which was also our family’s profession, to support the family. From childhood, I would occasionally watch my father and grandfather at work, and sometimes help my father too. That is how I learned the craft.”

“Idol-making is generally done by men. I thought, if men can do it, why can’t women? That thought prompted me to begin. I had also dreamed of making idols since childhood. Had I not continued this family tradition, it might have ended with my father’s death. I feel immensely proud that, through this noble work, I have been able to keep my father’s name alive,” she added.

As a woman, she has had to struggle continually to secure her place in the male-dominated world of idol-making. She had to approach her father’s former customers again and earn their trust afresh. Through her craftsmanship, she has demonstrated that skill in idol-making has no gender.

Dipika Pal at work

Demand for Dipika’s idols has also been growing. She claims to have crafted an idol for Basanti Puja at the residence of Assam’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the chief minister offered prayers before it.

Her workload increases further during the Durga Puja season. The shape of the goddess’s face, the expression in her eyes and the designs of her ornaments -- all receive Dipika’s close attention and special care. For her, every idol is a new dream. As she puts it: “Making an idol of the Goddess is more than a profession for me; it feels like fulfilling my dream.”

Explaining her working process, Dipika said: “Making idols requires bamboo, wood, straw and clay. Since this is an urban area, all the materials have to be purchased from outside. I also have to hire workers from outside. At the beginning of the year, I first sculpt Lord Ganesha’s idols. After that, my work continues without a break through Manasa Puja, Vishwakarma Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Kali Puja. I also make idols for Raas Purnima.”

Speaking about her customers’ trust, she said: “People had immense faith in my father. When I began working, his customers would ask me, ‘Will you be able to do it?’ I would confidently reply that I could. Gradually, as people saw my work, they began to like it, and their trust returned. Today, apart from our local customers, we also have a substantial number of customers from outside the area.”

Her commitment extends beyond her craft to the environment. She consistently emphasises the use of environment-friendly paints and materials in idol-making. She remains mindful of the need to reduce pollution caused by the immersion of idols in the rivers, streams and other water bodies.

Describing her feelings at the time of the goddess’s immersion, Dipika said emotionally: “The immersion period is very painful for me. I feel as though my mother is leaving my side. Just as a mother nurtures a child from an early age, I make every idol with immense love and care.”

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Perhaps the greatest reward for Dipika’s struggles, however, lies in an innocent remark made by her young daughter. One day, the child told her: “Mom, I will make idols just like you.” That single sentence seems to have given Dipika’s long struggle a new and deeper meaning. The craft that once passed from her father’s hands to hers may one day pass into her daughter’s hands as well. This unique tradition of shaping dreams from clay may continue from generation to generation.