29 Sept 2025 9:37 AM IST The ancient and divine now increasingly interact with the digital and futuristic as wildly popular artificial intelligence apps help generate new design ideas. Devotees take photographs as they visit a Pandal with an idol of Durga on the eve of the 'Durga Puja' festival in Kolkata. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) KOLKATA: Millions in Kolkata will draw on millennia-old traditions when they celebrate the festival of Durga Puja this week with street parties and worshipping idols in elaborate pavilions. The ancient and divine now increasingly interact with the digital and futuristic as wildly popular artificial intelligence apps help generate new design ideas. "Artisans are now using artificial intelligence to find new designs, helping them to stay updated," potter Monti Paul said as he admired his statue of the goddess Durga. The statue, made of clay moulded onto a wire-and-straw frame and painted in neon pinks and blues, depicts the 10-armed, three-eyed goddess riding a lion while slaying a demon buffalo in a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Paul, 70, learnt his craft from his father, like hundreds of other potters in the narrow alleys of Kumartuli, the city's centuries-old idol-making hub. Kolkata is home to more than 15 million people and each year it erupts in a 10-day celebration of art, music, and devotion, an event UNESCO has recognised as part of humanity's "intangible cultural heritage". At its heart are the intricately crafted idols and the temporary temples, or "pandals", commissioned by thousands of community clubs. Many reflect contemporary themes, from politics to pop culture. 'AI-driven images'