The fervour to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on August 31, with echoes of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ reverberating in Delhi-NCR, is immense this time around
The fervour to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on August 31, with echoes of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ reverberating in Delhi-NCR, is immense this time around. The artisans involved in idol making are finally hopeful of doing good business and look forward to better sales after a long lull due to the pandemic. Optimistic about recovering the losses of previous years, the artists and idol sellers are also reporting a surge in demand as quite a few residents have plans to bring Ganpati home to ward off all negativity that has creeped into our lives due to Covid-19.
Maheshwari, a delhiite who has already decided which Ganpati idol to bring home this year, shares, “This is the first time we will be keeping Ganpati at home. The pandemic was so bad that people seem to have become more God-fearing and religious now. That’s why my mother decided to celebrate the festival at home this year, to ward off all evil from our lives.”
Soba Ram, an artisan stationed at Mayur Vihar flyover, says, “Iss saal neon colour bada chal raha hai. We are making idols mitti aur POP mix karke. We’re using watercolours that dissolve during immersion and don’t worsen pollution. This year, we’re getting a lot of customers, unlike the previous two years. Maal achhe se bik raha hai aur sab ko pasand bhi aa raha hai. Small idols start from ₹4,000, and go up to ₹50,000 for 10ft idol
Kamal, an artisan from the potters’ lane at Sarojini Nagar market says, “The festival is about a week away toh kaam toh shuru ho hi gaya hai. Log aa rahe apne manpasand ke Ganpati lene. We have a lot of designs and styles available. Some idols are from Mumbai while others are from Kolkata and Lucknow. Customers have a lot to choose from.”
Neetu, another artisan who runs a stall at Sarojini the potters’ lane near Sarojini Nagar market says it has already been quite a few days since people started flocking her stall to buy Ganesha idols of their choice. “People have started ordering pehle se hi… I decorate them using my creativity. Main Sarojini Nagar se hi hoon aur decoration ka saamaan hum Chandni Chowk se lekat aate hain. Ek Ganpati ki murti ko sajane mein humein do se teen ghante lagte hain. Isiliye jis murti mein jitna zyada kaam, utni hi uski keemat bhi badh jaati hai. Jo shradhalu hain woh khareedte time ye dekhte hain ki unhe konsi murti pasand aa rahi hai dekhne mein kyunki logon ke man me kaafi shraddha hai is tyohar ko lekar phir chahe hi ye dilli ka apna tyohar na ho, par ab logon ne ise apna liya hai.”
manish
