It promises to be a rather subdued Ganesh Utsav amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of the mandals have decided to put the festivities on hold this year, others are forging ahead with a whole host of restrictions and precautionary measures in place.
Ahead of the festival, photos have surfaced of idols made in unique ways. As news agency ANI shared, while some have seeds enclosed within, others attempt to fight the deadly virus.
An artist from Mumbai's Ghatkopar has created a rather unique idol that also dispenses sanitizer when you place your hands under it. A rather ingenuous idea when one considered that usually countless people come for darshan at the time of the Ganesh Utsav.
While it is not clear where the ''sanitizer Ganesha idols' will be available for sale, the photos indicate that these are small in size and likely suitable for at-home celebrations.
"COVID-19 is still here, so I have made idols that dispense sanitizer. It functions automatically when people place their hands under it to sanitize them," their creator told ANI.
At present Mumbai has more than 17,000 active COVID-19 cases. The recovery rate stands at 80% while the doubling rate is at 89 days.
