Eco-Ganeshas are a hit in the city with artisans struggling to keep up with the demand.
Eco-Ganeshas are a hit in the city with artisans struggling to keep up with the demand.
Three years ago it was difficult to sell even 2,000 eco-Ganeshas, a Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) official said. But last year, nearly 18,000 people bought eco-friendly Ganeshas. This year, the number has gone up to 50,000, till now.
The civic body, the MPCB and the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti have been asking people for the past few years to use eco-friendly idols with natural dyes as they dissolve easily in the water. In contrast, plaster of Paris (PoP) idols take time to dissolve. Also, marine life is affected.
“This is a good and welcome sign that people have realised the importance of eco-Ganeshas,” Sanjay Bhuskute, MPCB spokesperson, said. “We have set up stalls at various places in the city to help people buy eco-Ganeshas. We are getting reports of a huge demand for such idols. I am certain that next year 1 lakh eco-Ganeshas would be sold."
MPCB has been carrying out a sustained campaign asking people to go for clay idols, Bhuskute said.
BMC records say almost 178,000 people keep Ganesha idols in homes. Meenal Lele, an artisan from Kalayan, said he had made 1,000 idols and all have been sold. “I am still getting orders for such idols,” he said. The profit margin is high for artisans who make PoP idols. “Which is why there aren’t many artisans willing to make clay idols,” Lele said.
Some people prefer PoP idols as they are not heavy and easy to carry, Kedar Dahibaokar, artisan from the Mumbai Central area, said. “Clay idols have to be carried carefully as they are heavy as well as delicate. This year, I got 15 bookings for eco-Ganeshas.”
Santosh Mirashi, who has been making clay idols for 51 years, said, “We never compromised with our art [clay has been traditionally used to make idols]. We are not here to make a fast buck by going for PoP idols. The demand for eco-Ganeshas has gone up over the past few years.”
Pramod Palav from the Konkan region said he and his team made 800 clay idols this year. “All were sold in two months. Retailers from Mumbai bought idols from my workshop,” he said. “They requested me to make more eco-Ganeshas next year.”
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