Maharashtra: Ganpati idolmakers reel under heavy losses after rain, flooding

Pen is the hub of Ganpati idolmakers, with every shop adding an awning and selling idols as the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi draws closer. “We are the wholesale dealers of the idols. Right from selecting the Shadu mud to painting the idols, we do it here and then send the idols off. It is not a seasonal business, we do it all year round,” said Vaibhav Thakur (56), an artist specialising in making Shadu Ganpati, idols made out of clay.

As one approaches Tambadshet village, 8 km from Pen, the damage from excessive rain and flooding is hard to miss. In water-logged fields, there are white vestiges in the shape of a broken arm, or a trunk or part of the head that lay unclaimed. “Each house has a damage worth Rs 8-10 lakh at least. A big chunk of the crops have been laid to waste. We are still assessing the damage,” an official from the talathi office said. She added, “We are trying to get just compensation for people, but it will take time.”

Artists rue the rain that swept away even their raw materials and almost a year’s earnings. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

Several idols are left unceremoniously around water bodies and roadsides, as the artisans try to make space for the new statues. The narrow roads and alleys are strewn with half-filled bags of plaster of Paris and mud, useless after coming in contact with water. “It rained incessantly for 15 days. It flooded twice, on July 26 and August 4. The region recorded over 300 mm average rainfall,” the official said.

In Johe village, 9 km away from Pen city, and less than 60 km from Mumbai, all hands are on the deck since water receded on August 7. Thirteen-year-old Sonu Rasal has taken leave from school. “Anyway, my books and uniform are all wet. So I come here in the morning,” he said, painting the hands of one of the 2-feet idol. His father Ravindra Rasal is busy answering phone calls. “I have been abused more in the past few days than ever in my life. But I understand the anger of customers and we will return their money since we are cancelling orders. We have just been dealt a really bad hand,” Rasal said. His daughter, 19-year-old Namrata, is busy doing an inventory of the idols that have been laid to waste. “The damage is equally bad on small and big idols,” she explains.

While the small idols were swept away, or chipped, the big ones — 8 or 10 feet idols — have dark spots and rotting bases. While the damage is not apparent in looks, it is evident in the brittleness of the idols. “One of our customers took the idol and it cracked while shifting. So we are now trying to identify which idols are worth salvaging and throwing away the rest,” Ajay Patil (43), an artisan who sells unpainted idols, said. All around workshops, there are coal bits burning, warming the idols up to get the damp out.

On July 26 Pen received 231 mm and on August 4 it received 290 mm rainfall. That coupled with very high tides led to massive flooding. It has rained over 2,000 mm in Pen till now, according to IMD. It has received the second highest rainfall in Raigad, first being Matheran.

Dnyaneshwar Patil (40) had a huge crater in front of his shop and his idols got swept away, but some are still marooned where he can spot them. “I didn’t bring them back, what’s the point. All of our work has gone to waste. I have a three month old daughter, my third. Suddenly I am realising that I might not be able to provide for her. I have taken up a daily wage job that pays me Rs 300 per assignment,” he said. Patil, who sold finished idols, didn’t make the sculpture, which he brought from other artisans. “People I have grown up with are turning against me and demanding money. I have approached the union,” he said.

The Johe idolmakers have an artists union. “We have several people coming to us, claiming damages. We have all suffered damages and right now, we need to help each other out,” said a union member requesting anonymity. “We are helping people fill up insurance claims and write to banks to get rebate on loans. As of now, we need financial help,” he said.

Vinod Mhatre (38) had taken a loan of Rs 7.5 lakh just last year. He has cast away at least five 10-feet idols till now into the creek. “My casts have been destroyed and they cost a lakh a piece. I can’t even make any more idols. I have lost all of my savings and now we are focusing on disposing off the idols,” he said.

Several idols, mostly of Plaster of Paris, have been already been disposed off in the creeks, still flowing higher than regular. According to environment activist Vivek Thakur, this is not an ideal situation. “Water gets polluted by the Plaster of Paris and it kills the fish, which is a prime industry here. We are trying to educate people to not dump their broken idols into creeks, but use them to fill potholes or cracks in their houses,” he said.

“I spend nine hours coloring and finishing idols. There are some in which we stuck rhinestones piece by piece. How can I break them? It is easier to leave them in water, the same respect they would have got if they were taken by customers,” Vaibhav Thakur (29) said. His store, a family business, prominently displays the villages’ condition in a banner proclaiming “Ganpati unavailable. No bookings”.