In this, the Durga Puja season, and the second in this hopefully-brief 'Covidian Era', scaling things back a bit can imply all sorts of things. The pandals might not be so grand or numerous, and the crowds may observe the necessary cautions with a renewed prudence, but it's also an opportunity to consider the artists and artisans who create with their minds and hands, and not just in Kumartoli, either.

As an artist myself (admittedly more digitally-oriented than in the past), I naturally gravitate towards they who, by instinct, design, and talent, make art on every level and in all media. In Calcutta, where such work assuredly goes on in private studios, courtyards and enclaves, it is also happening right in front of us. For the everyday Calcuttan, this is no big deal, but for the casual yet keenly appreciative observer out on perambulation, this accessibility to arts in the making is a built-in feature of the city's visible personality.

 Not that these many creators are part of any tourist circuit or classroom or showcase of token skills. These are hard-working professionals, with orders to fill, and if they happen to be Puja-commissioned, there are major deadlines to meet. There's no need to think of them as 'commercial' artists – as opposed to studio/gallery artists, as both pathways involve the same process: making something of value from an idea, or suggestion, or demand, or nothing at all. And by doing, they not only express themselves, usually anonymously, but also maintain the classic techniques and the imagery that are ever-new and infinitely varied.

 I'm no curmudgeon about progress, unless its regressive, but when those (now standard) computer-generated banners and hoardings on plastic canvas and panels started popping up all over the place, I was naturally concerned about the hands-on painters, letterers, and riggers. The same goes for practitioners of crafting and maintaining Calcutta's magnificent signs embellished with raised wooden letters, numerals and scripts. Well, I've noticed that the plastic fatigues, fades, and tatters, while the admirable signage of the heritage kind calmly abides. As I've discussed before, many of these signs are in need of restorative attention, as they are high-level examples of the artistry considered here. Especially wondrous are those in the admirable Bengali style so championed by Vidyasagar, Tagore and others.

Speaking of calm, I usually note that regardless of the task in question, the artist involved is focused, steady, and businesslike, no matter how impactful the surroundings are. Of course, a placid bypath would be preferable for thoughtful artistic production, but if Shostakovich could compose while a frenetic football game was on the radio or screaming kids were playing, by the same token, perfectly straight lines are being painted, cut, or scribed  while trams clang and lorries thunder mere metres away. Professionals know how to concentrate, whatever the job that needs to be done.

Naturally, the creative cockpit of Kumartoli comes under the spotlight leading up to Durga's yearly triumph. It scarcely matters if its eccentric lanes and plaster-splattered corners are probed by we who so appreciate such environs. Everyone is too busy to notice. Preparation for the big show is just as intense as any sporting event at Eden Gardens, all pulled off with loving, handmade care, with the only high-tech present being the big-lens cameras and the mobiles wielded by the selfie freaks. I used to work backstage in shows, building sets, dressing them, and moving them during the performance. That being the case, as far as a crew perspective is concerned, I can easily relate to the whole puja process in play. Plus the pressure these artists are under, the supplies to organize, the paints to mix, the brushes to choose, the modeling to undertake, and of course, the finished products to produce, from the spectacular to the modest to the humble.

All artists know which part of the process they like best: the dreaming, the doing, the completion, the gratification. And most would pick all of them.
The artistic talent in Calcutta is a given, but it's never taken for granted.

Stay curious, have fun, and be sure to come when Calcutta calls!