ABSTRACT
Durga Puja as a temporal cultural performance adds to the fragility and ambivalence of the “artistic” identity of the mritshilpis. The momentary or unstable fame and appeal in the market since their artwork lacks the quality of permanence has forced them to create a subculture of their own, a “culture of pride” to overcome the volatility of market and identity crisis. They attempt to build a narrative woven around not the economic pursuit of livelihood but a “way of life,” where creative culture is not occasional, not “set apart” but rather a part of the social life, the very rhythm of all social activities, of being and becoming, an everyday performativity.
