Keshav Chandra Pal, a 57-year-old sculptor of repute from Jamshedpur, refused to give up his family tradition of making idols despite losing his eyesight. He learnt the art of idol-making from his father and, except for a break of two years, has been working independently since the death of his father ten years ago.

“In 1996, I lost my eyesight and stopped working. After two years, my brother asked me to give it a try and I agreed. With full faith in God, I started work and now, even though I cannot see, I can make idols,” said Pal.

“The people associated with him view this as a blessing of God. No one believes this until they see it for themselves,” says Pal’s assistant, Subodh Chandra Gorai.

He is also imparting this art to the younger generation, as he believes they should carry on the tradition. His students certainly revere him. In the words of his student, Subhash Chandra Ghatak: “He is a very good teacher and is very particular about the virtuosity of the art.”

Today each idol made by him sells for rupees 15,000 to 18,000. So far he has 20,000 idols to his credit.