Guwahati (Assam) [India], September 25 (ANI): Durga Puja or 'Durga Pujo' as it's famously called is just round the corner and while people have expressed immense excitement to visit various pandals, and gorge on traditional delicacies, it's also a good opportunity for many to make good money.

It's a great business opportunity for many artisans during the festival as they sell idols, however, the last two years have been rather unfortunate for them. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the scale at which processions would usually take place, couldn't really pan out thus resulting in two bad business years for the artisans.

Well, this year, the footfall to pandals is expected to be huge again and naturally, that means bigger and better orders for idols and the artisans who indulge in the craft.

While Kolkata retains the top spot for massive galore and Puja celebrations, Guwahati is no less. The whole city soaks itself in the spirit of joy and celebration during the Durga Puja.

ANI caught up with an artisan based out of Guwahati to take a stock of how the business is going on this year. And as expected, he revealed that the demand for idols this year is considerably better than in the last two years.

To get a better insight into the numbers, we asked him how many orders he has received so far, he replied happily saying that "around 25-26" orders have been received by him and that he is quite excited for the whole Durga Puja grandeur is back and it's indeed again proving to be a good chance for them to make money.

Last year, Ahead of Durga Puja, Vishwakarma Day, artisans making idols in Guwahati had urged the state government to release Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to give them a clear picture of the festival celebrations.

The artisans, then, said that lack of clarity over festival celebrations had affected their business since they couldn't prepare many idols and ended up mostly making smaller ones due to lack of orders.

However, now that the city is ready to immerse itself in the great spirit of celebrations during Puja this year, it's indeed a respite for those working day and night to make a little money out of it, especially the idol artisans, who wait for big festivals like this to get their business going. (ANI)