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The hands that craft glass Ganesh idols in Pune
The Gadre brothers who live in a single room strewn with glass rods and shards tell us how they make these delicate idols
Brothers Anand Gadre (57) and Mukund Gadre (55) spend most of their waking hours crafting handmade glass Ganesh idols. Anand’s hands move deftly, weaving thin pristine opaque strings of glass as it smoulders, under the steady flow of heat, creating the trunk of the elephant god. The Gadre brothers live in a single room strewn with glass rods and shards amidst sparse furnishings, in a three-storied building in Tulshibaug.
“Anand is the master craftsman, while I help give finishing touches to his works,” said Mukund.
“We learnt the art from our father, Balkrishna Gadre, who would create beautiful birds using thin coloured glass rods. Those were very brittle, but my father would create such amazing artefacts that people would visit home and place orders. We grew up watching him, and soon were helping him, in recreating some of his birds,” said Anand.
As Ganeshotsav begins on September 2, the Gadre brothers are busy creating small Ganesh idols, made of glass. “People order Ganesh idols made of glass which are small and easy to handle. We create idols only on order. So far, we have received 200 orders,” said Mukund, giving finishing touches to a Ganesh idol.
According to the Gadre brothers, in order to create a glass Ganesh idol or a glass temple or even a horse carriage, strong glass rods which do not break easily are needed. Hence, the duo buys raw materials from Mandai.
Describing the process of making glass idols, Mukund said, “Cooking gas is used as the glass needs to be tempered at a high temperature. The level of oxygen should be maintained at a certain temperature to help mould the glass in any shape, in order create different figures.”
“I prefer making standing idols of Lord Ganesh as it takes less time, around 20 minutes, while a seating idol takes longer. After the initial figure is done, we allow it to cool for 30 minutes before attaching the necessary base and weapons that the deity holds in his hands,” said Anand.
The idols are sold between Rs 100 and Rs 400 depending upon the intricate details carved in glass. A glass temple costs Rs 5,000.
