Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The excitement among people over making their own Ganesh idols has been increasing rapidly. It is after two years that Ganesh Chaturthi is going to be celebrated on a large scale, with beautifully decorated pandals, where hundreds of devotees will gather to worship the Lord.
The concept of using eco-friendly idols of Lord Ganesh is not limited to purchasing Ganesh idols made from clay or cow dung. Now people are interested in making the idols with their own hands.
A homemaker, Varsha Pandey, said, “I love art and craft, it has been my hobby since childhood and during the lockdown period I thought that instead of purchasing idols from the market, it would be better to make it on my own. I make idols mixing clay and cow dung. I also teach children how to make them.”
In some cases, people also put seeds inside the idols so that there is a chance of trees taking root.
Madhav Kothe, resident of a gated colony said, “It is after two years that we are going to welcome Bappa to our houses and societies. I am not an artiste, but my family and I plan to make Bappa’s idol. We will use shadu maati for it.”
There are various workshops being conducted in schools, colleges and other places all over the city where people, especially children are being taught on how to make eco-friendly idols of Lord Ganesh.
Manisha Kulkarni, a play school teacher, said, “It is more than an activity for children, where they get to enjoy playing and creating idols. This will also teach them good lessons including working together and the need to protect the environment. For adults too it’s a fun activity.”
Nivedita Shukla | FPJ
Even foreigners attend workshop
Many women and children participated in the workshop on making eco-friendly Ganesh idols. There were even foreign students from Hong Kong, US, England who learnt how to make idols online.
Nivedita said, “It is not only important to celebrate our culture but also to look after our environment. Moreover, making idols is such fun and acts as a therapy.”
Swapnil Vyas | FPJ
“Idol making is a form of art that should be celebrated. I myself tutor children and organise events where one could learn about making idols using shadu and yellow maati, which is further mixed with cow dung. Often we put seeds in these idols,” Swapnil Vyas said.
