‘He was family’: Pune Ganesh mandal decorated by Nitin Desai for 18 years mourns his death

This was the reaction of all those who knew Desai as a Lord Ganesh devotee whose devotion was reflected in the Ganesh mandals he decorated in Pune over the years. Desai had a strong connection to Pune – he had worked on the Seven Wonders Dream Park here – but it was his work related to Ganeshotsav that brought him to the city every autumn.

At Garud Ganpati Mandal, president Sunil Kunjeer recalled a talented artist who could straddle the demands of big-budget films as well as small Ganesh pujas with creativity. “He had an artistic vision that could convey social messages to the common man. We were in talks with his team about this year’s designs as well. Pune does not have huge Ganpati idols; what we are famous for are our designs and decorations and Desai played an important role in this,” said Kunjeer.

Sculptor Vivek Khatavkar had been Desai’s friend since their days at JJ School of Art, where Desai studied commercial art, specialising in photography. “Before creating any work, he used to study the situation very closely. I remember the set that was designed at New English School on Tilak Road for an event. Desai insisted that it be in harmony with the building and the location so that the set seemed to be a unified part of the site,” said Khatavkar.

It was Chanakya, the TV series by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi that propelled Desai to fame. Several big films and series, from Bharat Ek Khoj and Swabhimaan to Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan, Devdas and Swades, followed.

“Through his work, he showed that an art director is as important to a film as an actor,” said Khatavkar, who received the news over a phone call. “He was a wonderful human being who respected everybody, big and small. I used to do the decorations for Dagduseth Ganpati and he would be working at Hutatma Babu Genu Ganpati Mandal. I used to hold his arm and bring him to Dagdusheth and say, ‘Dada dekho, use our kya kaam chahiye (Dada see, what more work does this need)?’” he added.

Actor and Maval MP Amol Kolhe had an over 15-year association with Desai and both of them worked on the TV series Raja Shivchhatrapati. “He was a true fighter and he had created a world of his own from nothing, through a long struggle,” Kolhe said, expressing shock over Desai’s death. “I had met him some time ago and he had told me that he was working on a historical web series. He was also planning another project on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and enquired about my availability,” Kolhe said.

Desai was a very emotional person, he added. “It is important for an artist to be emotional. He was emotional and it was difficult to know what was going through his mind. It is difficult to believe that he would take his life,” Kolhe said.