From animation artist to clay Durga sculptor: Monalisa Biswas finds success as entrepreneur

In a modest studio inside her Moyna, Nabapalli, Barasat, home, artist Monalisa Biswas works day and night, carefully sculpting miniature clay idols of Goddess Durga and Her divine family.

- RAJIB CHAKRABORTY

With just days left before Durga Puja, West Bengal’s biggest festival, Biswas, who also graduated in Animation Studies, says food and rest have taken a backseat as demand for her creations soars across India and abroad. For the past seven to eight years, Biswas has been sending her handcrafted idols to districts across the state including Malda, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, and Cooch Behar as well as faraway cities such as Mumbai and Lucknow. Orders have even come from Singapore, Malaysia, Switzerland, and Dubai, where Bengalis living abroad perform the four-day celebration inside small apartments, hostels, or rented accommodations. “Many people who stay abroad or in flats, or rented accommodation, want compact idols for their puja. That’s why I began making these smaller Durga idols,” Biswas said, brushing clay dust from her hands.