Mumbaikars and the city prep for Bappa’s arrival

As Ganesh Chaturthi nears, we take a stroll across the city to find out what’s hot and selling fast this season

Ganesh Chaturthi is right around the corner and after the pandemic dampen the spirits over the last two years, they city has sprung into action to celebrate one of the biggest festivals with a lot of pomp and grandeur. Mumbaikars and vendors are leaving no stone unturned and are pulling out all the stops to ensure that the festival’s comeback this year more than makes up for those low-key ones.

Mumbaikars and the city prep for Bappa’s arrival

Mumbaikars and the city prep for Bappa’s arrival

Recently, the government had announced the ban of Plaster of Paris (POP) idols and are pushing for the return of mud idols. The delayed announcement had left the vendors scratching their heads about what to do with the idols they had made as the process begins months in advance leading up to the day. Shadu mathi is the most popular type of eco-friendly Ganpati in the market right now, followed by idols made from paper mache.

This small diya costs 150

Lets find out what the city has to say about the much awaited festival:

Shopper’s Talk:

Ovee Deshpande from Kurla says: “I just got done with my NEET this year and while preparing for the exams, I was not allowed to step of the house. This is the first festival I am taking part in after a long time. Celebrations in the house were low key during the pandemic since no one could come home. So we are buying a lot of new things for the house, this year. “

This throne made of fake flower cost 3,000 while the one made with real flowers costs 5000-6000

Purnima Dhotre, Borivali: “We have always brought home a shadu mathi ganpati and this year is no different. We have come out to buy some decorations as during the lockdown the stuff we got were not that great. I am seeing many new items in the market and they look of good quality.”

Vendor’s Talk:

The t-shirts with ganesha’s face costs rs 150

Mandap decor

Rohit Tripathi sells various festival-related samagri and readily shows us one of the most popular items in his shop — a ready-made mandir. He says, “You only need to tie it at the four corners. It is for working people, who don’t have the time to get it stitched from a tailor. Other designs like the one with zari work is selling too. We have one that is filled with leaves, because everyone is going green.”

People shopping for ganesh chaturthi in Dadar market

Beads galore

Shraddha Rangnekar’s shop under the bridge in Dadar (W) sells decorations for the house and mandap. She says, “The last two years were hard with no sales. But this year, people are coming out and buying a lot of things. The most variety is in the torans, which are made with artificial flowers and beads, and are completely washable.”

These thrones can costs between 5,000 - 7,000 depends on the size and intricacies of the design

Makhar

Hailing from Alibaug, Adnan Lalchadhi sets up his makhar exhibition every year in Dadar (W). This year, they haven’t used any thermocol in their designs. He says, “While all our thrones are resuable and can be folded and stored for next year, people don’t reuse them. Instead, they pass it around among family and friends. Only those who have a mannat or want to go for a recurring theme reuse it. For our thrones, we have used foam, wood and laminate.”

People are buying eco-friendly idols this year and they costs start from 1,200 and can go upto 7,000

Eco-friendly idols

Artiste Ramesh Shiwalkar’s shop in Vile Parle (E) has almost 90% shadu mati murthis. He says, “We were unsure of the bans and I had got orders around April/May. We begin work on the idols in March so that they can dry in the sun and each idol takes us one to two days to make with hands, as they cannot be made in moulds like the POP idols.”