It’s becoming a growing fascination of mine: seeing the behind-the-scenes of holidays, the production of celebrations, the making of happiness. These photos are taken in Kumartuli, a neighborhood tucked into a corner of Calcutta, where artisans craft huge clay statues of the goddess Durga for Durga Puja – the most famous and lively of all Bengali holidays. Once completed, the goddess is placed, alongside other life-sized gods, in tents called pandals around the city, decorated and revered by neighborhood children and families who are indifferent to where she came from or where she will go. They listen to music, hang out with their friends, eat the best sweets of their lives, dress in their finest clothes as the goddess watches from her stage…and as the artisans who made her finally breathe deep breaths of relaxation as their work winds down for another season. The celebrations wouldn’t be complete without Durga, and Durga wouldn’t be complete without the artisans: they see through every detail – from collecting clay from the river to crafting her perfect frame. From layering the mud to decorating the goddess with paint, fabric, and glitter. They even collect the remains after she is immersed in the water at the end of Durga Puja – to be fixed up, pieced together, torn apart and used again. From Earth to Earth the goddess comes and goes, passing through the hands of the men and women of Kumartuli. And of course they don’t stop at Durga – they can make any god required, as well as humans – living beside and amongst them in the lanes of Kumartuli. Click here for more photos. (All photos in this series taken with a Nikon FE and 35mm Fujifilm)