As more people switch to eco-friendly methods of making Lord Ganesha idols for Ganeshotsav this year, there are others who are making use of chocolate to make the idols, while some are making use of clay, along with paper, and even books to decorate the pandal
While Rintu Rathore makes her Ganpati idols with chocolate, and other ingredients like rose milk (in picture), Sujata Das uses sadhu clay along with paper decorations to make her idol for Ganeshotsav. Photo Courtesy: Rintu Rathore/Sujata Das
Key Highlights
- This year, Ganeshotsav will commence on September 19
- Rintu Rathod makes Lord Ganesha idols from milk, white and dark chocolate
- Sujata Das makes her idols with sadhu clay and the decorations with paper
Around 13 years ago, when Mumbai-based artist Rintu Kalyani Rathod was walking along Juhu beach in Mumbai after Ganeshotsav, she was disappointed to see how the shore had washed up pieces of the POP idols, and that made her very sad. The 52-year-old shares, “I am a big Bappa devotee and stay close to Juhu beach and go there for my morning walks. If you go there a few days after visarjan, there are some heart-wrenching scenes. Now things are changing but 13 years ago, I thought to myself ‘what is this kind of devotion?’” Rathod saw broken hands and pieces of Ganpati Idols lying around and people walking over them. “I thought ‘this is very wrong’. So, I decided to do everything inside the house – no air, water or noise pollution.”