Ganpati idol manufacturers claim rain has washed away hard work this year

PUNE It has been a tough year for Prakash Shinde, a maker of Ganpati idols from Uruli Kanchan, who claims huge losses due to the heavy rains in the last couple of weeks

PUNE It has been a tough year for Prakash Shinde, a maker of Ganpati idols from Uruli Kanchan, who claims huge losses due to the heavy rains in the last couple of weeks.

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“We are already suffering financially due to Covid since last year and our production has also reduced, but this time, due to the abnormal rains, more than 200 idols got damaged. Idols which were kept in the open are yet dry got completely due to the rains,” said Shinde.

It is the same for other idol makers. Before the Ganpati festival starts, in the last one month production of new idols is undertaken, especially for the Ganpati mandals.

Talking about this year’s idol issues, Chaitanya Tagade, owner of Shree Ganesh Kala Kendra company, said, “We have been making idols for more than 12 years now and the last two months before the Ganpati festival are very crucial for us. The painting and finishing of the idols is done during this period. This year, due to the sudden rains most of the idol makers who keep the idols in open spaces to dry are facing huge losses.”

Last month, the state government’s home department issued guidelines regarding this year’s Ganpati festival, with restrictions on the height of the idols. As per the notification, the height of idols in homes is restricted to two feet, and for mandals, it is restricted to 4 feet.