An Album of Durga Images from Cover Pages of Anandamela and Kishor Bharati

This book is an 11th-month report from 18th July to 17th August 2014. The entire city of Kolkata 1s hustling and bustling with activities as just a few days are left for the arrival of Durga Puja- the greatest celebration and show of the Bengalis. People from every strata of society are in some way connected to this festival. The artists and artisans in Kumartuli are extremely busy giving the last brushstrokes of colour on the clay idols making them ready for the final show; the CHALCHITRA-makers, few of whom are still existing in Bengal; the contemporary artists along with various artisans, labourers, are bound within a tight schedule to give their best output to grab away the best awards allotted for 'Best Conceptual Puja’ or "Theme Puja’ as popularly known these days; light designers who decorate the whole cityscape with beautifully designed garlands of tiny bulbs and various light fittings, ornament-makers and dress-makers of clay idols or SAAJ SILPI, the traditional PANDAL-makers, who continue to construct thousands of temporary MANDAPA or PANDAL throughout Kolkata. This publication is an outcome of the project under Lalit Kala Akademi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, which is titled as "Preservance and Digitising Art Activities During Puja Festival in Kolkata."