This year art students from Kolkata decided to usher in the fortnight of the Durga Puja celebrations in a unique way, painting a one-km-long alpona (traditional Bengali floor art) on Lake Road in the southern part of the city.

The videos (above and below) show the artists giving final touches to the designs, which, as the traditional form demands, includes many intricate and colourful patterns. Most important, the artwork did not stop people from using the road – and the designs remained were not marred either.