MARCEL, SEPT 11
Thousands of people will visit Marcel and nearby areas to witness the unique Ganesh idols made by various mandals during the Ganesh festival.
The Ganesh idols are huge and are being made of different types of material, attracting a large crowd of devotees and curious onlookers.
This year, the Vithal Sanskrit Mandal of Bazarwada-Marcel has made a two-and-half metre Ganesh idol using material from the arecanut tree. The artisans claim it took them almost a month to complete the idol.
The idol will be on public display from Sunday onwards.
Other mandals in the area will also exhibit their Ganesh idols from Sunday onwards, till the 21st day of the Chaturthi.
Mandals from Marcel, Cumbharjua and Sant Estevem have, over the years, attracted a large crowd for their unique Ganesh idols.
The large crowd has, however, resulted in undue pressure on the narrow roads.
Traffic jams will be a daily routine and the traffic police will have a tough time managing the traffic.
MAYEM CORRESPONDENT ADDS: Crowds have been visiting Bhuipal village of Sattari during Ganesh festival since the past five years to catch a glimpse of eco-friendly Ganesh idols.
Suryakant Gaonkar, an employee of a factory at Pissurlem, has been using his creative skills to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols out of unusual ingredients.
“This year, I made a large Ganesh idol out of sawdust and it took me three weeks to complete the idol,” Gaonkar told Herald.
“Last year, I made use of seeds from wild trees to make my Ganesh idol and it evoked good response from the public.”
“I am located in the vicinity of the Sahyadri hills, where a lot of raw material is easily available for eco-friendly Ganesh idols,” he added.
A few years ago, Gaonkar even made a Ganesh idol of the stem of the Banana tree and the bark of other trees.
Suryakant’s father, Shankar, said the entire family has fully supported Suryakant in his creative abilities.
The eco-friendly Ganesh idol will be on public display at Bhuipal for five days.
