Mandals, households will have to spend more as price of idols has gone up

Your bappa will be dearer this year

Mandals, households will have to spend more as price of idols has gone up

This year Ganesh mandals and households will have to loosen their purse strings a bit more.

Blame it on the price rise across the country, but the cost of Ganesh idols has gone up by almost 20 per cent this year. Idol-makers admit that high cost of raw materials and transportation has resulted in the increase in prices.

Dhiraj Prakash Mundava, owner of Bharat Kumar Arts, said: "Customers are ready to pay the extra money though they do bargain a lot in the beginning. We are not compromising on the price, as we are not able to make much profit. We are investing a lot of money, especially, in transportation."

Subhash Chowdhary, who sells marble idols, said that last year he had sold four idols in two days, while this year he could only sell one. A 4-feet idol this year costs about Rs 8,500 but the same was priced at Rs 5,500 last year. A 6-feet idol will cost about 12,500 this year but last year it was only Rs 9,500.

The cost of small-size idols, usually kept at homes, has gone up from Rs 350 to Rs 600.u00a0

A plaster of paris idol-maker, Govind Marware of Kalewadi, said: "Last year, because of swine flu, the celebrations were minimal. So this time mandals are making up for it."

Mandals and households areu00a0 therefore compromising on decorations and food.

Nutan Lahote, a homemaker at Shaniwar Peth, said: "We cannot compromise on the festival and have to pay the price the idol-makers ask. I paid almost Rs 650 for an idol which cost me Rs 350 last year. I have to economise on the decorations to manage costs."

Bobby Pawar, a resident of Aundh, admitted that her family was buying a small idol instead of a big one. "It's not the size, but devotion that matters. So, we are compromising on the size. We have to manage the costs somehow."