Time was when the idol-makers of Kumartuli didn’t quite mind camera-carrying visitors because their arrival meant a little publicity for the idol-makers.
Today, the arrival of camera-wielding visitors means publicity for the visitors themselves — in the form of Instagram reels and YouTube videos — and therefore the artisans are not as welcoming as before. As a result, both remain busy with work — the artisans giving finishing touches to the Durga idols and the visitors recording the craftmanship while keeping themselves in the foreground.
