How grander Ganpati idols have become symbols of status

The crisscross bylanes of Girgaum have come alive with divine manifestation The lord of beginnings ndash Ganesha has traversed celestial realms to personify idols crafted to perfection According to Hindu mythology the 10day observance starting on September 19 marks a period when he visits his devotees and blesses them with a prosperous dawnA flying speck of white dust becomes our guiding force into lsquoGanpati Karkhanarsquo at Keshavji Naik Chawl ndash the epicentre of Ganesh Chaturthi gatherings since 1893 Scores of idols grace the multilayered shelves with the pot bellied deity Inside the studio the 5th generation idolmaker ndash Sridhar Datta Chawlkar perches on his pedestal to paint his standard 2 ft tall idolAt this time of the year idol makers are in their artistic element At the fifth stop of 2nd Kumbharwada is Deepak Durgersquos atmospheric studio which is a hidden gem of clay idols in a market dominated by POP Plaster of Paris models Draped in muddy white shades of clay he can be seen adding final details to his 150th sculpture of the Elephantheaded deity this seasonAlso Read How Muslims welcome Lalbaugcha Raja at Byculla and NagpadaGanpati draped in grandiosityOver a special cutting chai he tells Midday ldquoAdding embellishments and studs on Ganpati idols has become highly popular in recent times Not only studs but people are increasingly demanding idols adorned with expensive jewellery clothing and accessoriesrdquo However upon closer observation it comes to light that none of his idols carry embellished studsDurge recalls how last year one of the Ganpati idols was decorated with LED lights He goes on to add how another idol was covered with a wig made of human hair ldquoArtists have also started placing Ganesharsquos head upon diverse structures For instance on the bodies of other Gods or human avatars like a doctor or a superhero figure like Spiderman even in the body of Sai Baba or a swamirdquoSagar Panchal the owner of the iconic Atul Sagar Arts at Lalbaug has a distinguished clientele which includes the Ambani family ldquoThey have had a standard request of a 5 ftsized idol for the past 14 years In 2009 when they first came to us they picked an idol that was already made The design left such an impression on them that they decided to commission a Ganesha idol from us every year Hence we designed a particular mould for their idol and continued with the samerdquoA point to be made here is that a mould idol implies a Plaster of Paris model Over the years Ambanis have requested addons like ornaments elaborate backgrounds golden seats and sheen fabric informs Panchal However the ban on POP during the pandemic made them switch to paper or clay models with a height restriction of 3 ftPeople have become particular about the draping styles on Ganesharsquos body To cater to the evolving demands Panchal has come up with creative draping styles ndash one where the drape flows from both the shoulders of Ganesha one where He is clad in Kurta with a drape on one shoulder and another where the drape flows from the right shoulder and left armAdditionally there is a growing demand for diamond and artificial jewellery on Ganesha idols at Panchalrsquos studio as well There is artisanal creativity to be noted in the variety of diamonds with shapes ranging from round to rhomboid to square studs Moreover the pagdis come in innovative styles too ndash some based on elaborate fabric folds some in traditional forms while some decked with flowersHis signature idol is the one where Ganpati is clad in sheen white drapes wearing a white dhoti a white pagdi decorated with flowers ndash holding a yellow modak in His left palm ldquoWe have 2000 idols in the same mould It is our unique selling product that has garnered maximum patrons owing to its distinct designrdquo shares PanchalSourabh Mururkar 27 is a firstgeneration idolmaker at Lambodar Arts in Keshavji Naik Chawl In his experience of 20 years at the workshop ndash he has also observed a rise in the demand for decorative detailing ldquoEarlier people used to be concerned with flowers and backdrop design Now they want miniature diamond jewellery intricate mukuts and elaborate draping for Ganpatirdquo informs MururkarA rise in pomp and showTraditionally Ganesh idols were relatively small often handmade with clay and standing at a manageable height However in recent times there has been a rising trend towards larger and more extravagant idols Some communities and individuals compete to have the tallest or grandest idol reaching enormous heights remarks MururkarldquoHow can I beautify my idol morerdquo asks Mururkar in a rhetorical manner to imitate his customers His team designs 5060 idols each year as they are all handmade ldquoThe height of the idol has been consistent at 18 inches for the last 20 years that I have been practicing Size demand never changes but the deacutecor is evolving fast to grab more eyeballsrdquoWhat is the driving factor behind this trend we ask Durge responds by saying that Ganesh Chaturthi has come to be associated with pageantry owing to a variety of socioeconomic and cultural factors ldquoRising disposable incomes have enabled individuals and communities to allocate more resources to elaborate celebrations Additionally a competitive spirit drives them to outdo one another in terms of idol size decoration and festivitiesrdquoThe amount of money spent on Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations including idol creation decoration and various rituals has surged over the years Many communities and individuals are willing to invest substantial sums to ensure that their celebrations are the most impressive This includes not only the cost of the idol itself but also expenses related to pandals temporary structures to house the idol lighting sound systems and cultural performances adds PanchalPanchal points towards an idol whose dhoti folds he had painted in yellow shades ldquoYou can see how sublime the folds are If you ask me I personally donrsquot like the trend nowadays As an artist when I paint an idol ndash I want my creativity to show With the addon requests of fabric dhotis my creativity gets affected as it hides my artrdquoCommenting on the shifting trends Durge defines this as a major deviation from Hindu shastras which lay out the principles of deity worship The primary intent of this idol is devotion it should be a plain representation of the deity that bridges the devotee with the divine Adorning it with vivid colours and ornaments drives us away from the sacred tradition of Ganesha worship opines DurgeThe supplydemand equation is to be equally blamed for says Durge People are demanding Ganesha in innovative avatars Seeing the rise in this peculiar demand idolmakers are coming up with more elaborate Ganpati idols So much so that the supply of spectacular idols has misguided people ldquoA true artist will do it the ceremonial way rather than playing with the ritualistic waysrdquo remarks DurgeTraditions vs tractionDurgersquos design ethos does not align with extravagant idols Hence he has chosen to stick to the traditional idolmaking style that involves the use of shaadu mitti Clay and is devoid of any embellishments ldquoAs per the Hindu rituals the idols are meant to be designed in a certain manner that aligns with nature and we do it that way Had we been in the moneymaking business ndash we would have resorted to smarter waysrdquoAt Lambodar Arts Mururakar has noticed a rise in ecofriendly idols ldquoEarlier people didnrsquot care about POP or clay but now there is a growing awareness It works in our favour as we donrsquot have POP moulds for our idolsrdquo Since childhood Mururkar has been using shaadu mitti for all his idol designs However how economical is it given the growing demandPanchal admits that at his studio customer demand decides the fate of the idols ldquoWe charge extra for each addon requested by people With each fabric addon the scale of my profits increases by 20 per cent A nonembellished nonfabric idol costs anywhere between Rs 800010000 However when I add a drape to it the price rises by a margin of Rs 15002000rdquo Panchal prioritises art first but when people demand more he obligesldquoIf I donrsquot comply and stick to ethics I will be left behindrdquo remarks Panchal He runs an enterprise of six workshops in the interiors of Lalbaug This year he has designed up to 3000 Ganesha idols with the help of 25 domain experts His team comprises people who are exclusive experts in draping finishing painting etc The distinguished clientele at his studio includes the Ambanis ExChief Minister Ashok Shankarrao Chavan Neil Nitin Mukesh Usha Mangeshkar and more renowned personalities of MaharashtraApproximately 70 per cent of his customers now want draping and studded idols ldquoFor me Ganesha Baba is on top so I donrsquot mess with himrdquo chuckles Panchal He inherited the studio from his parents which has been in business for the past 50 yearsApart from being an idolmaker Panchal is also the secretary of Lalbaug Paran Murtikar Sangathan He expresses his dissatisfaction with the ban on POP idols ldquoEcofriendly idols cannot be made in a span of 23 months We get the pandal permissions 3 months prior to the festive date which is also the rainy seasonrdquoldquoIt becomes impossible to design idols in such a short span With PoP I can design 10 idols in a day but with clay ndash it adds up to 1 only Secondly labour is not cheap in Mumbai and there is a dearth of skilled labourers Most of the workshops lack clay as its material and hence they resort to moulds only The ones designing clay idols have created their monopoly and are charging double for their skillrdquoIn todayrsquos date there are at least 25000 idols being made at Lalbaug which clay as a material cannot cater to informs Panchal Additionally there is limited space to stack the idols at his workshop ldquoOne POP idol weighs around 45 Kgs whereas a clay idol weighs around 10 times more Thus it becomes a real challenge to work with clayrdquoIs the traditional appearance of Ganpati getting lostDurge is a prodigal figure whose name echoes across the wadis of Girgaum Customers flock to his studio seeking idols meant to be placed inside their homes ldquoClay idols are to be a matter of expense which require expert craftsmanship For this we start from the start Our tools are also designed with technical precision with the help of carpentersrdquo shares DurgeBack in 2005 people demanded bigger idols made from POP informs Mururkar While clay idols are entirely crafted by hand POP idols are an extension of moulds He believes in presenting his art first rather than selling massproduced mould idols In his studio patrons can find idols that have been crafted from the initial design stage to their final form ldquoThere is a novelty in making clay idolsrdquoCommenting on the splendourdriven traction of POP idols Durge informs that out of 100 90 statue manufacturers drape Ganpati idols in grandiosity due to peoplersquos incessant demands ldquoThe traditional appearance of Ganpati idols is vanishing from the market It does exist in the nooks of Girgaum but is being gradually replaced with pompouslooking BappasrdquoA Ganpati idol is more than a mere figurine Durge compares it to a newborn child who is taken care of with the most delicate clothing and skin care products ndash similarly a Ganpati idol is fragile and needs to be treated with utmost care Breaching the dignified lines harms spirituality and the essence of worship gets lost He believes that moving away from traditions causes Ganesharsquos spirit to exit the idolPeople have made a multimilliondollar business out of art born from devotion remarks Mururkar The intense competition in the market has urged artists to resort to unscrupulous ways To sustain the business idolmakers switch to POP which is not ecofriendly big on extravaganza and available at cheaper ratesAs a conscious artist and massproducer of idols Durge has taken it upon himself to educate his customers ldquoWhen you venture out for idol shopping it is natural to get captivated by studded idols draped in shimmery fabrics The laws of photography state that our eyes are meant to be drawn towards the brightest spot in the room But is it the most viable spotrdquo asks DurgePeople need to delve into authenticating the materiality more than the pomp and pageantry Shimmer has its moment but the simplicity of clay is eternal As per Shastras the idol should be made from shaadu mitti only people need to relearn this opines Durge For worshipping idols inside homes it is essential to switch to natural elements