What began as a hobby to address an existential crisis in 2005 has now matured as an artistic skill for 61-year-old Shivendra Singh Parihar. Dedicating almost three hours daily to carving statues of Lord Ganesha has not only made Parihar famous in Madhya Pradesh's Satna but also enabled him to find his life's purpose.

Artisans have been working 17-18 hours every day for the past two-three months to make Durga idols. But, they are worried about low earnings as the cost of the raw materials, such as mud and straw, have shot up. A ground report from Howrah's Prasastha village that has 300 idol makers.