NAVI MUMBAI: A family of Ganpati idol-makersin Ulwe is aggressively promoting environment-friendly clay or shadu idols.
Nitin Kumbhar and his two brothers, Hareshwar and Ganesh, have already made nearly 50 such idols this year, for clients from Mumbai. Navi Mumbai and other cities, and want to start an institute soon to promote the making of such idols.
Kumbhar’s father, Pandurang, started making clay murtis in the 1940s, at Ulwe Gaon; today, with Ulwe emerging as a crucial node of Navi Mumbai, the children are continuing that tradition.
“Earlier, artisans mostly made clay idols. We have retained that culture and would like to popularise it. These days, most idols are made of plaster of paris because idol-making has been transformed from an art into a profit-making enterprise,” Nitin Kumbhar said.
The biggest idol Nitin has created this year is five feet tall, for a mandal in Pune. He has used 10 kg of shadu clay for it, and half a kg of coir (coconut shell hair). He says he uses coir on the wet inner portion of an idol to make the structure sturdy.
Nitin is keen to start a school for artisans so the new generation can learn.
