Gobari Kewat of Banarhawa, Rupandehi, has been supporting his family of six as a clay modeller. For the past 15 years, he has been making and selling idols of Hindu gods and goddesses.

He has a workshop, a rented room, at Bangai Chowk where he creates his works using mostly straw and clay. Most of his works he sells during major Hindu festivals like Dashain, Tihar, Chhath and Sripanchami.
In recent years, however, he hasn’t been selling as many idols as he used to. He has been losing his clients to the idol-makers from India.
“People import idols from India since they don’t have to pay customs duty. That way the price is cheaper,” said Kewat.
The idols Kewat make can cost anywhere from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. In the Indian market, they come much cheaper.
Tihar is just around the corner but Kewat does not hope to do much business, with his Indian competitors poaching his potential clients.
“It’s difficult to compete with the Indian idol makers,” said Kewat.
His business is sinking and he cannot do anything about it.
Kewat has seen many local idol makers like him fold their business unable to compete with Indian clay modellers.
Until just a couple of years ago, many households near Nepal-India border in Rupandehi depended on idol-making as a means of living.
Today, most of them have left the profession. Only a few idol makers remain in the district.
“We make the idols but the customers buy theirs from the Indian town of Nautanwa,” said Surya Bahadur BK, another idol maker from Mayadevi Ward No. 7. “We simply cannot match the idol price of the Indian idol makers, since we have to get our materials, like rope, nails, colours and other decorative items from the Indian market.”
Disregarding the price tag, BK says the idols made in Nepal can match those made in India in terms of build and quality.
Idol makers like BK and Kewat have demanded the authorities concerned to create a level playing field for them to compete and keep their profession alive.
Bhairahawa-Sunauli is one of the major border points between Nepal and India.
Around 500 idols of Durga, a Hindu goddess, were imported from the border point for this year’s Dashain festival.
“We don’t charge customs for single-purpose clay idols which are brought from India. Only stone and metal idols are liable to customs duty,” said Kamal Prasad Bhattarai, chief at the customs office.
That may be the case but for sculptors like Kewat and BK, making a living is getting difficult.
“If this continues, I might move away from this trade for good,” said BK.