Amar Nath Ghosh, a renowned 'shola' artist of Kolkata, shares his life with this unique form of art. Born in 1940 in pre-independence Kolkata he was introduced to the art of 'shola' as a child. Carrying the torch from his grandfather, this down-to-earth artist has illuminated the international arena with this traditional Bengal art form by sending Durga idol to Hamburg as early as 1979.
After that there was no looking back : Durga and / Kali idols made by this famous artist have reached all the major continents and have found place in famous museums in the world including Tokyo (since 1989), Boston (since 1989), Texas (since 1989), London (since 1994), Frankfurt (since 1996).
Amar Nath Ghosh and son are the number one Idol Exporter from Kumartuli, Kolkata, who export more than 20-25 idol images per year to the overseas. And the order amount increasing every year.
The credit of dispatching the first Durga idol made of 'SHOLA' goes to one Amar Nath Ghosh of Kumartuli. He has been at it for the last forty years. The idols are small and extra light but used to be invariably colored white - the basic color of 'SHOLA'. However, with the growing demand of colors, the artist has devised his unique method. The final products are so breathtaking that the East Coast Museum of New York and Frankfurt Anthropological Museum have preserved them.
