The city is buzzing with excitement. The streets of Guwahati are alive with colour, music, and the bustle of preparations as Durga Puja draws near.
However, in the shadowy workshops of Bishnupur, Lachit Nagar, and other places, hidden away in its winding alleys, a more subdued devotion takes place: the laborious birth of the goddess herself.
Here, craftspeople stoop over straw skeletons and bamboo frames, their forehead wet with perspiration and their palms covered in clay.
Long before the lights, pandals, and processions appear, generations of families continue this craft, using their hands to create divine figures.
But there is also weariness, anxiety, and sacrifice in addition to faith and tradition.
With his gaze focused on a partially completed crown, a Bishnupur craftsman remarks, "It takes months of effort."
The skeleton is made of bamboo, cane, or wooden sticks fastened with jute ropes.
While clay combined with rice husk and jute fibres adds strength, straw provides bulk. A quick shower can undo weeks of labour, so drying is essential.
Many see the event as a race against the skies as well as the holiday calendar. Idols must be hastily wrapped in plastic or dried using homemade fires during unexpected downpours.
Hands, feet, and heads are sculpted independently and then assembled. We paint, clothe, and decorate the idol with decorations once it has dried.
The "chokkhu daan," or eyes, are painted last. We always get chills from that moment," Pal says quietly.
There is a hard arithmetic hidden below the spiritual majesty. The price range for a modest idol is between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000.
A 30 foot figure can cost over Rs 1.6 lakh, while medium idols can cost up to Rs 80,000, according to another craftsman.
However, we have little left over after paying for labour, supplies, and transportation.
Despite the backbreaking labour, the profit is hardly enough to keep us afloat.
Environmental constraints, reduced puja expenditures, and less expensive Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols make survival even more difficult.
