‘Almost human’: life-size replicas of the dead help mend broken hearts in India

The silicone figures are a touching version of what the Hindi language calls ‘smaran’, or remembranceIn the north of Kolkata, near Dum Dum Junction, Subimal Das and his staff of 80 work from an old factory-warehouse. Using clay, fibreglass and silicone, they construct extraordinary lifesize replicas of religious icons, cultural figures, cricketers and Bollywood stars.But the workshop also has a popular new line: custom-made 30kg replicas of the dead, commissioned by family and loved ones. Contin...