MAKING OF THE GODDESS India is a land of exotic cultures and millions of deities, some of the latter so fierce-looking that they have captured the imagination of the sculptors who create the idols of these gods and goddesses for the festivals that celebrate them. The fiercest of all is perhaps the Goddess Kali, shown here in her destructive form. She is the personification of 'shakti' or 'cosmic power' or 'divine energy' that resides in the universe. It is with this power that she annihilates all the demons that beset the world. I took my vacation during the festival celebrating this goddess and was able to capture her in the process of idol-making as well as during the festivities.