Candle-making ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali is a cottage industry for this Mukherjee family of north Kolkata, where seniors and juniors all play their respective roles with dedication
Ashim PaulIt’s that time of the year when residents of Champahati Haral village get super busy crafting green fireworks and candles of every imaginable size and shape. Stringent environmental laws in recent years have cast a cloud on their operations but there are thousands in these villages for whom Kali Puja and Diwali are a source of sustenance
Pintu MandalWith colourful garlands, other puja paraphernalia and Diwali decorative items, shopkeepers in Kumartuli await customers
Arnab DuttaWomen of Duttapukur in North 24-Parganas district make different varieties of brightly coloured earthen lamps for Kali Puja and Diwali
Ashim PaulFrom Kumartuli to Duttapukur, from embellishments for Kali’s face to a potter’s hands shaping stylised clay lamps, the final week in the run-up to the festival of lights seems hectic for every artisan
Arnab Dutta and Ashim PaulLakshmi and Ganesh idols on sale ahead of Diwali at a ‘dasakarma bhandar’ at Janbazaar near Esplanade. The siblings are worshipped together on Diwali because their worship is said to usher good fortune, wealth and prosperity into the home
Suvendu Das