RESHMI YADAV, OP
Bhubaneswar: As Ganesh Puja draws near, artisans and institutions across the state are blending tradition with innovation, presenting the deity in eco-friendly and creative forms.
Building idol using clay-pots and seed-embedded idols, this year’s initiatives highlight sustainability, while preserving their grandeur.
At Dhauli College of Art and Craft, principal Panchanan Samal highlighted their unique initiative.
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“This year, students crafted Lord Ganesh idols using ‘Abhada Kodua’, the sacred clay pots traditionally used to prepare Mahaprasad for Lord Jagannath.
Natural paints were used in order to ensure that idol immersion would not contaminate water or harm aquatic life.
Every year, our focus is on eco-friendly and sustainable idols,” Samal said. Schools are also embracing the eco-friendly mission.
At Bermunda High School, here, students crafted idols with a sustainable twist.
Assistant teacher Sangita Ray said, “This year, students from Class VI to X created 30 eco-friendly idols using natural colours and seeds.
So instead of immersion, the idols will be placed in soil after the rituals. The initiative is both a learning exercise and a step towards an eco-friendly world.”
Professional artisan Sashikant Behera, who runs a workshop in Mancheswar, spoke to Orissa POST about the growing demand for idols in industrial belts.
“I am essentially a conceptual artist, but in Odisha, creativity does not find much acceptance.
So, during Ganesh Puja or other festive seasons, I focus on idol-making, which is commercially viable for artistes like us.
To sustain, I take seasonal orders for making lord Ganesh, Vishwakarma and Durga idols,” he explained.
This year, Behera received 22 orders for the Ganesh Puja.
The idols range from 8 ft to 13 ft in height, priced between Rs 22,000 and Rs 25,000.
“The most unique creation this year is of an Aghori Avatar Ganesh idol, apart from regular Shiv Avatar idols, Lalbaugcha Raja idols, and Garuda Avatar idols,” he added.
Artiste Bijaya Kumar Panda, who runs Jaga Baliya Silpa Mandir, reflected on the business side of the festival.
“I have been in this line for more than 40 years. This year, I received 12 large orders and crafted 30 to 40 smaller idols for walk-in buyers.
Compared to Durga and Lakshmi idols, Ganesh idols sell well, but the demand isn’t what it used to be.
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The festival brings joy and business for many, but for clay artists, the profit is limited; we are not paid in proportion to the artwork,” Panda said.
He added that their most unique creation this year is a Bahubali Ganesh idol.
PNN
