On write track: Mumbai mandal uses 30,000 pencils to make Ganesh idol

The Shri Sai Darshan Mitra Mandal in Malad (West) in Mumbai aims to highlight a social cause this year by putting together a 10-foot-tall Ganesh idol made of 30,000 pencils.

With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, it is time for hundreds of mandals in the city to display their creative ideas on a public platform.

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The Shri Sai Darshan Mitra Mandal in Malad (West) aims to highlight a social cause this year.

Members of the mandal are currently putting together a 10-foot-tall Ganesh idol made of 30,000 pencils.

“The theme of our Ganpati celebration this year is children’s education,” said Montu Ruia, one of the organisers at the mandal. Ruia said t hat t he mandal has been making innovative idols to increase its popularity among children. The organisers had installed an idol made of chocolates two years ago. Last year, they followed up with a Ganesh idol made of toy cars. The organisers used as many as 20,000 pieces of chocolate and 25,000 toys respectively.

The mandal is using colour pencils to create the Ganesh idol. Businessmen, working professionals and even students have come together to work on the idol. Every night, 20 to 25 people work on the idol for about seven to nine hours.

The students work after school or college.

The organisers have been working on the idol for about a month now.

“Pencils need to be sharpened, cut and then pasted on the idol. There’s a l ot of minute detailing that goes into it. At times, our hands swell with t he effort,” Ruia said, but he was confident that the idol will be ready in time for the festival.