Ideal worship

“I was always interested in painting and that talent found an encouragement when my father allowed me to paint the base of the idols that he made. I graduated to painting of jewelries,clothes and finally the face. All this comes as an achievement for me. At times,when one gets engrossed,one can spend hours together on a single idol and the labour shows on the beauty of the idol that look live,however,the pressure also forces us,at times,to meet deadlines. Thankfully I have not yet compromised on quality because of the deadlines,” says Jawari.

Lalit’s father,Chintaman Dagdu Jawari,who has been in the profession since 1951 when he was eight-year-old,says that he was very happy when his son planned to help him in his profession without giving up his studies. “Earlier we use to spend hours on making a single clay model,now with extensive use of plaster of Paris (POP) we can have as much as eight Ganapati idols in one hour.”

Talking of future plans; Lalit Jawari says that he would be happy if his children also learn the art.

Another family that has seen generations taking up the tasks of idol making is of Pandurang Govind Parsekar. In the profession since 1948,Parsekar came to Pune in search of job and ended up doing the clay modelling as a side business,which eventually grew up to become the main business of the family. “I learnt if from my father. My family was into clay modeling. We as kids use to pitch in during Ganapati festival,as there was a lot of work to do. When I came to Pune,I could not resist it and started making idols as a side business. Now my sons,Nilesh and Deepak,look after the business,” says Parsekar.

Nilesh P Parsekar,on of Govind Parsekar,says,“After seeing my interest in painting,my father asked me to start learning the clay work then I proceeded to make a full Ganapati idol with proper shades and expression. Now my niece is learning painting and we would be happy if she is able to carry on the legacy.”

Abhijit Dhondphale is the third generation of Dhondphale family,which is into the business since 1940. “My grand father Naresh Mansingh Dhaondphale started the business,which was looked after by my father,Ravindra Dhondphale. I took up a different stream and went on to become a medical representative. However,the artiste in me brought me back to this and now I work full time as an artiste. Now my daughter is learning painting. She also helps us during Ganapati festival.”

Despite their age,Naresh Mansingh Dhondphale and Ravindra Dhondphale are not able to detach themselves from the art and often come to the studio to supervise the work.

The art not only looks for talent but also a dedication towards the art and the deity,without which perfection becomes impossible.