GUWAHATI, Sep. 30, 2022 (TBINN)
The deft hands of 67-year-old artisan, Tapas Pal, move with ease as he moulds the clay to give shape to divine forms at his workshop in Pandu Area of Guwahati, but budget cuts, after two years of COVID-19 crisis, are leaving the idol-maker and his ilk dispirited.
Tapas is worried that this year, too, business may see no revival amid rising prices of raw materials and shortage of labourers, with several organisers having curtailed their spending.
We faced immense difficulties in the last two years due to the pandemic-induced lockdown. Last year, the administration’s directive to mark the occasion with small-sized Durga idols had adversely affected our earnings, Tapas shared with The Bharat India.
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