SHG Didis making idols, blending livelihood with tradition

With the Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja are approaching, Self Help Group (SHG) Didis across Tripura are scripting stories of empowerment through clay and creativity. 

Supported by Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM), these women are not only sustaining their families but also reviving traditional pottery and idol-making art.

In Belabar Gram Panchayat under Dukli RD Block, Pinki Rudra Paul of Beli SHG has taken up making Durga idols. Several other women of the locality are also engaged in pottery-based activities, ensuring additional livelihood opportunities. Their efforts evidently reflect how TRLM support has turned creativity into sustainable income.

CEO TRLM Tarit Kanti Chakma, along with the district team, recently visited the house studio of Anita Rudra Pal, an experienced idol maker who has been making idols of Goddess Durga and Lakshmi for the past 25 years. 

Engaging five artisans in her unit, Anita has successfully repaid her previous TRLM loan and continues her journey as a self-reliant entrepreneur. During the visit, the CEO assured the artisans of further training and financial support to expand their ventures.

In Noabadi area, the SHG Didis’ pottery unit has already completed around 550 idols of Goddess Durga and Lakshmi. With soaring demand, all idols have been booked even before the festival. 

Encouraged by this overwhelming response, the TRLM CEO reiterated that necessary training and loans will be extended to help these artisans meet the growing market demand.

As the state prepares for the grand inauguration of the redeveloped Matabari Temple premises by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SHG Didis in Udaipur have crafted and prepared 100 clay pots. 

These will be used to distribute the famous GI-tagged Matabari Peda, symbolizing the blend of tradition and women’s community-driven contribution to the historic event.

Meanwhile, in Dhupirbond Gram Panchayat of Jubrajnagar Block, members of Rajani Gandha SHG—  Gupta Rudra Pal and Jyotsna Rudra Pal—passionately crafted Vishwakarma idols. Alongside them, other SHG Didis of the area continue to work on clay art and pottery.

Lakshmi Rudra Pal from Jolaibari in South Tripura district was once a government school teacher (10323). But her dream shattered with termination of the teaching job. She then joined a Self-Help Group 'Sagata Mahila Dal. The TRLM’s special training led her back to traditional idol making and terracotta art.

This year, Lakshmi Didi has prepared over a thousand clay idols of Goddess Lakshmi symbolizing her indomitable spirit and the revival of heritage.

With TRLM’s support, they are not just earning livelihoods but also keeping alive the rural heritage and cultural traditions of Tripura.

Together, these stories showcase how the SHG Didis of Tripura, with the support of TRLM, are transforming clay into symbols of livelihood, empowerment, and culture.