Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Why these Mumbaikars prefer homemade idols

Mumbai is abuzz with festivities and shopping as people get ready to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi this year on August 31. It is because the city shares a very special relationship with the beloved festival that goes back decades and this year is going to be no different because they haven't been able to enjoy it to the fullest in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The idol makers are back in action as they have been seen all over going about their annual business of making the Ganpati idol.

Interestingly, there are many Mumbaikars who have been making their own idols. While one of the reasons is the eco-friendly approach that has become popular over the years about the kind of effects Plaster of Paris (POP) idols have on the environment, others are simply a personal choice.

Bandra-based Sumit Yempalle is one of the many in the city who have switched to making eco-friendly idols, an approach he took owing to his awareness and artistic endeavours. "We have been bringing Ganpati home since 1998 but it used to be the POP idol. In 2014, I started making the paper idol myself at home. I used newspaper and not clay or soil because it was difficult for me to find clay easily." While Yempalle says it was necessity that made him find an alternative option to make the idol, it was like the homemade idol was in the works long before he knew it.

Taking the eco-friendly route
It was an idea given by his mother that led him to confidently make the change. "My mother told me about an old rural recipe for an organic papier mache that they used to make to avoid grains from sticking to the net of cane utensils." The 28-year-old uses the very same technique by mixing paper with soaked fenugreek powder that he then turns into a plaster that he applies on his idols to get a softer edge on them.

After achieving considerable success in the first attempt, the visual designer never went back to any other kind of idol, even if clay was available. "This technique gave my idols a particular raw finish and that became an identity. Now, you can easily make out that the idol has been made by me," says the proud Mumbaikar, who describes himself as an ‘artist by passion'. We can attest that they are nowhere close to amateur levels from the pictures he sent us. They, in fact, reflect professionalism to the last detail like the popular idol makers who make the city their home during this time. Yempalle is getting better at making the idol because while he used to take 15 days, he now takes half the time. So much is the popularity of his idols that people come to see what new element he adds to them. It took off two years after he started and he actually got 11 orders but has limited it over time for personal reasons.

Luckily for the Mumbaikar, the Covid-19 pandemic didn't play spoilsport for his celebrations because his family anyway has a close-knit affair. The only change will be that there will be the guests coming in this time compared to the last two years. It will be followed by a visit to other pandals in the city because it has been a tradition with his friends from before the-pandemic, and one that he intends to continue. Hailing from the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, the celebrations will be a mix of both cuisines, but they particularly enjoy a sweet dish called Kuttindu Huggi, which is a payasam made from wheat, coconut and jaggery.

IN PHOTOS: Ganesh Chaturthi 2022: Why these Mumbaikars have chosen to make eco-friendly, homemade idols

One-on-one time with Lord Ganesha
Elsewhere in the city, it is no different for author Saee Koranne-Khandekar. She celebrates the festival with a lot of seasonal yet traditional food which includes gourds, leafy vegetables and definitely lots of modaks. "It's the season for gourds, so I try to use them in some way like a Tondli Masale Bhaat or a savoury Dudhi Vadi (like Kothimbir Vadi). The day after Ganpati is Rushi Panchami, which is when a stew of nearly every vegetable in season is made sans powdered masala, onion, tomatoes, etc. My modaks are steamed on homegrown turmeric leaves, which are also in season," shares the Thane-based culinary consultant.

While she visibly has a close connection with food, it is her relationship with Lord Ganesha that has been equally special for some time now. Khandekar started making her own idol nine years ago. She explains, "The festival was meant to be less ritual, more reason for family to come together. For me, personally, it was about faith. And I couldn't seem to connect with the idea of a store-bought idol, so I decided I would make my own."

The city-based author admits that the first one was terrible but that didn't stop her from making it every year since because it has been more than a learning process for her. "What remains special is the one-on-one time that I get with him as I sculpt. I don't always have a form in mind; it evolves as I go, but my main prayers happen during the process." This, Khandekar says, is simply because on the actual day, she is busy cooking and there are so many other things that go on. "But that quiet time when his form comes alive is meditative and hopeful and reassuring," shares the Mumbaikar. She echoes the sentiment of many other worshippers of the deity in the city, for whom the 10-day Ganeshotsav is very dear, as they look forward to lively celebrations after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Indulging in the art
In Lower Parel, Ganesh Satyanarayan Dusa has also been busy making his own idol. This is after he completed three orders that he received this year from Surat, Sangli and Nerul. One would think he is a professional idol maker but just like Yempalle, it's his hobby - one that he has nurtured for the last nine years. He says, "Just after my 10th grade, during the holidays, seeing that I had an interest in art, my uncle took me to my guru Vishal Suryakant Shinde, an idol maker, to learn how to make idols. That is where I slowly started learning how to give the clay idol it's shape, finishing and colouring."

As a teenager, the Mumbaikar didn't know about the concept of eco-friendly idols like many others. However, his guru explained it to him and he saw the eco-friendly benefits of making clay idols. Dusa started creating them for his own home in 2017 using different concepts. "The clay idol gets fully dissolved in water. However, the POP idol when it is immersed, the pieces float back and that doesn't feel good. It feels like the immersion isn't complete," Dusa adds. With practice, now he barely takes half the time to make idols that are as big as 12, 15 and 18 inches. Even though the festival has come early this time and he's juggling between work and his hobby, Dusa is happy. "I am very excited for Ganesh Chaturthi this time because we will be able to celebrate it properly after two years," he shares.

Also Read: Ganesh Chaturthi: Mumbai chefs share unique recipes of modaks for you to gorge on