HYDERABAD, INDIA, July 25, 2005: A little before Kukatpally on the national highway, the small hut is crammed with dozens of icons and clear signs of poverty. Shankarji, an elderly icon maker is busy preparing molds and mixing plaster for Ganesha icons. Vinayaka Chaturthi is just two months away and it is a race against time. Several icons he made last year failed to get a buyer. He gives a few touches and tries to impart a new look to them while readying his 12-member team, all family members, for molding fresh ones. “This work never ensures food even for my grandchildren. I hardly earned anything from this profession. But my faith in Ganesha prevents me from looking for other work,” says Shankarji. Truckloads of plaster have started arriving from Rajasthan and the families are storing them away. Shankerji’s son is busy arranging the molds and checking the plaster mix. “I want to make at lease 150 icons. Hope the Lord ensures that I sell all of them and earn some money,” he smiles.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike