From the archive record
Workers make decorative foam panels for a Durga Puja pandal at the Balaka Durgotsava Community Centre in Sector 61, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. One worker cuts a thick white foam sheet along a steel ruler with a hot-wire cutter, then trims it into long strips. Large foam boards carved into lotus and floral patterns lie on the ground amid scattered offcuts and shavings. Another worker lifts and shapes a semicircular arch decorated with carved lotus petals. The footage shows the detailed cutting, shaping, and finishing techniques used to create ornamental structures for a festival pandal.