As the countdown to Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations, after two pandemic-hit years, begins, idol makers of Pottery Town are busy applying finishing touches to their creations. A wide variety of Ganesha idols have been kept on display for the festival, which falls on August 31.
Amidst the various designs, the idol with traditional Maharashtrian Pheta, decorated with rhinestones, attracted many. Apart from this, those painted with natural colours, plain brown idols, and those decorated with sequins and jewels also stood out.
The potters also provided idols based on the requirement of clients. The cost ranged from ₹75 for an 8-inch idol up to ₹30,000 for those between 8 and 10 feet. The price depends on the size of the idol.
While there is a great diversity in the design, a decrease in the number of idols has been observed compared to the pre-pandemic times. Sellers said that their business had taken a hit owing to the space constraints caused by the construction of metro stations.
“I have travelled over 300 km to bring these huge eight idols from Tirupati. It had cost me over ₹30,000 for just these few idols. But it is so congested due to the metro construction that I cannot display too many idols. Previously, I could display most of my models but now there is hardly any space to put a shed and showcase them,” says Abhishek, a seller near Pottery Town.
The pandemic had also affected the livelihood of the traditional idol makers. Their old stock has become damaged, discoloured, and is now unfit for sale.
The monsoon also added more to their woes since the clay needs sunlight to dry. The yearly process of creating new idols for this year’s festival has drowned many in debt.
“It takes a year to make these idols. We had to undergo a huge loss during COVID-19. We took a loan from the bank to recover from our losses. We are using that money to sustain our business. If the business is good this year, then I can repay the debt. Otherwise, I don’t know what to do. I have left it to God,” says Jagadishwari, a shop owner.
Plaster of Paris (POP) wasn’t used in preparing the idols, yet many still use it as an adhesive. POP idols shipped from other States are still available, while the traditional idol makers depend solely on clay and mud for preparing Ganesha idols.
“POP is definitely an easier option when compared to mud, and it also dries quickly. But then it doesn’t dissolve in water easily. Mud and clay on the other hand dissolve in water very quickly and it goes back to nature, and then we extract the same clay next year, so the cycle continues. I have always been environment-oriented and have never used POP,” says Dinakaran M.A., a pottery shop owner.
Along with the idol makers, the customers were also preparing to celebrate the festival after a long wait. “It was an amazing experience to come here for the first time, as I got to see a variety of idols being prepared from pure clay. The prices were also very reasonable compared to Mumbai as I was buying it straight from the manufacturing source,” said Shivani Kulkarni, a pilot from Mumbai.
