A whirling fan offers small relief to the oppressive summer heat of West Bengal. Devotees working on site have accepted the austerity and continue on peacefully with their seva. In between gulps of water and wiping brows, progress on the mold of Gopal Bhatta Goswami punctuates each day with milestones.
The process of creating a deity is involved and detailed. What begins with sketches, moves to clay and ends in bronze requires months, if not years, of dedicated planning. The artists have now reached the fiberglass stage. After being covered in silicon, fiberglass was applied to the form to act as a supportive casing for the remainder of its development. The segments to follow include a wax form for making any necessary adjustments to the figure, a covering of fire proof material and then bronze casting. Gopal Bhatta Goswami is the first of the Six Goswamis of Vrindavana to be sculpted and cast. Each juncture of this endeavor has demanded creativity and ingenuity from the art team.
As the sun sets on the Ganga, so the artists greet the evening in their fixed posts…huddled in the silhouette of their beloved Gopal Bhatta Goswami.