Guwahati, Oct 13: Giving clay the shape of a goddess is one thing. Giving her a gaze that seems to look back at the world is quite another.
For idol-makers, the eyes are where the hardest part of their craft lies. A face can be molded, its features shaped and its contours refined, but it is the eyes that determine whether the goddess appears lifeless or seems to possess a world of her own.
“A small mistake can change the entire expression of the face,” said Nikhil Chandra Paul (56), an idol-maker who began learning the craft from his elder brother at the age of 12.
At his workshop near the Beltola petrol pump, Paul works alongside other artisans to give shape to the goddess. Years of experience have taught him how to build her form, but painting the eyes demands a different kind of precision.
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