Rows of Ganesha idols await the final touches at a workshop at R P Peta Mahatma Gandhi Grandhalayam in Visakhapatnam.
Bending over a four-feet idol, Malay Khanra delicately paints the eyes. At a corner, another man carves flower patterns out of wet clay to be used as ornaments for the idols. Beside him, another one is engrossed in covering the figures with a coat of clay.
The place smells of a concoction of wet earth, fresh paint and spices. Amidst the silence of the dimly-lit workshop, an elderly man sits and chops vegetables, occasionally stirring an earthen pot placed on a stove.
