News > In city of joy, gloom grips idol makers as Durga Puja nears

In city of joy, gloom grips idol makers as Durga Puja nears

Usually by July, Kumartuli — the famed idol-makers’ colony in north Kolkata — turns into a tourist attraction, with amateur photographers and curious visitors clicking away at artisans giving shape to Goddess Durga.

Durga Puja, the largest and most eagerly-awaited festival of West Bengal, is just three months away but Kumartuli presents a depressing sight, its artisans unsure of what the autumn of 2020 holds for them in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.