The Festival Of Navratri Is Being Celebrated with joy across the country. At this time, the work of small traders is very good, such as those selling fruits, selling items of worship, providing material for offerings, and making idols of Maa Durga. But imagine, when the festival season is over, how will they survive at home. Today we will tell you about Sushila Devi, a small businesswoman who made one such idol. To set The Best Example Of Women’s Empowerment, Sushila Devi makes sculptures at various festivals.
Sushila Devi lives in the small town of Phulwari Sharif in Bihar. Her family has been doing idol-making work for years. When Sushila Devi came to her in-laws’ house after getting married, her father-in-law Bablu Pandit started idol-making in 1950 at the gig halt of Phulwari Sharif. He used to make very beautiful idols. Bablu Pandit’s son Lalan Pandit and daughter-in-law Sushila learned this art for making idols from their father. When Bablu Pandit died in 2003, the father’s legacy was carried on by his son Lalan Pandit. After the death of her father-in-law, Sushila Devi also started making idols for the maintenance of the family. Now both Sushila Devi and her husband do this work together. Slowly the idol of Sushila started becoming famous, and now people from far away started coming to her to order the construction of the idol.
Family Of Sushila Devi
Sushila Devi has five daughters and three sons. Apart from Maa Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja, these people also build idols on the occasion of Vishwakarma Puja. Apart from the family profession of making idols, they have no other work. Therefore, apart from the festival season, these people do not have any work. Then only the money received from selling this idol survives for the rest of the time. Sushila has married her three daughters. Her eldest daughter also works with her husband to make idols.
Financial Condition Of Sushila
Sushila and her family make very good idols that people order from far and wide. Still, their financial condition is not good. According to Sushila Devi, her highest earning is done while making the idol of Maa Durga. During this, she also makes idols of Maa Lakshmi and Maa Saraswati. During the construction of the idol, she earns about 1 lakh rupees for the whole year. With this money, she maintains her family in a year.
When the lockdown was going on Due To Corona, in those years, the work of making idols at Sushila Devi’s house came to a standstill. Apart from making the idol, the family’s income is nothing else, so during that time, their house did not burn the stove for many days. It was time to die of hunger. But this year, Sushila Devi has a smile on her face as this time she has got the task of making the idol. This year their children will not have to go hungry. For the potter community, Sushila Devi requests that the government provide financial help for construction work on a large scale. So that they can do idol-making work apart from the festival season, their family can also live a life of happiness emerging from the life of misery.
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