ARKA
Fashion Photographer, Painter & Artisan
Arka, a young fashion photographer in West Bengal, began sculpting religious statues at his family’s request. A fine arts graduate, he says that making clay idols is a laborious but grounding practice. Arka hints at a life-changing spiritual experience that has bound him to his faith after his father's passing. Over the course of the film, he shares his thoughts on the duties and responsibilities of being a son, an artist, and a believer. As he grapples with those roles, he reflects on the grief of losing his father, his emotionally distant relationship with his mother, and how the medium of photography, which helps him explore human desire, is incomparable to the healing, creative process of clay idol-making.
CHINA
Professional Artisan
China is one of the first female artisans in Kumortuli, the famous potters' quarter in Kolkata, and has become known for a particular style of clay idol known as "Ak Chaali Durga." She took over her father’s business after he passed away and now lives with her elderly mother. Having left an unsafe marriage when she was young, China never remarried and became the sole caregiver for her mother, with whom she as a strained relationship. Despite the obstacles she has overcome, or perhaps because of them, she has a strong faith in the Goddess and believes her well-being is Durga's blessing. She calls her art studio a temple and clay idol-making her prayer.
SHREETOMA
Make-up Artist, Model & Artisan
Shreetoma is a makeup artist, content creator, and model in the suburbs of Kolkata, who began sculpting clay idols for her family's religious observances and then started her own idol-making business. However, her journey is not without challenges. After a particularly vulgar comment about her gender transition during a public Durga Puja celebration, Shreetoma attempted to commit suicide (after several previous attempts). From that day onwards, her father decided to worship privately at home. Shreetoma has a spiritual connection with each of the statues she creates. As a transgender woman, she says that she can only be her full self in their presence.
PARIMAL
Immigrant & Amateur Artisan
Parimal, a Bengali immigrant and retiree, suffered two traumas the day he arrived in New York in February 1971: His mother died—and his family kept the news from him. He only learned of her death when he went back to India nearly two years later. One of nine children, Parimal was his mother’s favorite. He had been inspired as a child to sculpt the Goddess Durga. He finally did so in the early 1980s, and since then, the clay idol has lived in the basement of his New Jersey home and has been worshipped annually during Durga Puja. Parimal rarely speaks of his mother today, but this film attempts to untangle his pain and the emotional repression that has been passed down from generation to generation.
SHARBARI
Storyteller & Parimal's Daughter
Sharbari has battled depression and anxiety as far back as she can remember. Her family basement, where the Durga statue her father sculpted resides, was her confessional for a childhood trauma that she kept silent for 35 years. She used the space year-round to sit before Durga and find some relief from the deep sadness she felt. Although Sharbari was emotionally disconnected from her parents, Durga Puja brought them together. For a few months out of the year, the basement transformed into a place of celebration. She now realizes her faith was a way of coping with the intense amount of pain she kept hidden to protect her family.