Bengal: Only 65 Durga idols from Kumartuli headed abroad this year amidst rising competition

By Bhajan Gangopadhyay Kolkata, Oct 16 (UNI) Kolkata's iconic potters' colony, Kumartuli, has witnessed a decline in overseas shipments of Durga idols this year amid growing competition from artisans in other parts of West Bengal and shrinking profit margins due to the increasing role of middlemen, industry stakeholders said. "Last year, 70 idols of the Goddess were dispatched abroad. This year, the number has gone down to 65, a drop of seven per cent," Ranjit Sarkar, joint secretary of the Kumartuli Clay Artisans' Cultural Association, told UNI. Kumartuli, which once enjoyed a virtual monopoly in exporting Durga idols, has faced…