Kumartuli or Kumortuli is located in the northern part of the city of Kolkata . The locality is a traditional habitat of the potters for nearly three hundred years. The potters or the artisans or the artists settled here during the restructuring of the Kolkata colonial region by the British East India Company . Earning a livelihood by making earthen pots and utensils first they gradually shifted to the making of the idols of Gods and Goddesses for various festivals round the year. With increasing demand and quality of their creations over time the artisans became famous and Kumartuli came to be known as the hub of idol makers supplying thousands of idols, particularly of Goddess Durga , to whole of the state of West Bengal and to NRIs of around 90 countries across the globe. At least three months before Durga Puja , the biggest festival of West Bengal and one of the biggest across Eastern India, more than five hundred workshops come alive with hyper activity day and night. Fir...
Apart from rising levels of population, intolerance, violence, crimes against women and corruption the largest democracy of the world called India has been dictatorially making life most inhuman for its children—supposed to be its future. Had there been a choice many souls from the ether would have straightaway rejected the offer of getting born in India! Endless herds of street urchins engaged or forced into begging, rag-picking, illegal trafficking and plain abuse. A whole vista of little innocent faces falling prey to the curse of child labor. NOT ENOUGH! Lives nipped in the bud through widely practiced female foeticide and at a later stage through infanticide. The male dominated dowry-based society bashing up and killing girl children brutally and at will. Newborn babies getting killed thanks to hospital negligence and callousness. NOT ENOUGH! Those who are lucky to be able to get a little older despite the most hostile environment are falling into open holes that abound all ...