India, Oct. 8 -- W ith Durga Puja starting on October 17, artisans from across West Bengal have been camping in Delhi-NCR for months, shaping Maa Durga and her entourage for pandals across the city. Behind the final spectacle are painstaking craft, decades-old ties and traditions they are determined to preserve. For some artisans, ties with Delhi's puja committees go back decades. Manik Pal, who travels from Kolkata's Krishnanagar to the Capital every year during pujo, has been making idols for 40 years. This year, he spent three to four months creating a 23-foot Durga idol for Gurugram Sector 15. "We showcase the tallest Durga Maa idol almost every year. For that, we only trust Manik Ji's craft," says Rajarshi Sengupta, general secretary of Purbapalli Durgabari Samiti, which has worked with Pal for 26 years, adding that they often share sweet nok-jhoks over designs. One of the most significant stages comes around Mahalaya, seven days before Durga Puja, when the idol's eyes are painted. At CR Park's B Block pandal, spokesperson Arundhuti Bhattacharya tells us, "Maa Durga's eyes have to be big, bold and very beautiful, in a way that when she looks towards her devotees visiting the pandal, she is greeting them with her eyes." As AI reshapes religious imagery, some artisans are drawing a line. Vishwajeet Halder, who works at a workshop in Noida Sector 20, says he refuses all requests to modify the traditional appearance of gods. "AI wali murti bahut log banate hain. Humare paas bhi kabhi-kabhi order aata hai jismein woh bhagwan ka original roop hi modify karne ko bolte hain. Par mere liye, bhagwan cartoon nahi hai. Aap jo bhi mann mein aaye woh nahi bana sakte unke chehre par. Isliye main woh orders hi nahi leta," he says....