In a house by a mountain, with the scenic splendour of Cuncolim serving as a marvellous backdrop of Mother Nature’s beauty, lives a man who has learnt the art of business from his uncle. His uncle, Maruti Chari, was responsible for bringing smiles to devotees of Lord Ganesha every year during the auspicious month of Bhaadrapada for a festival that is commemorated in honour of Lord Ganesha.
But Maruti has passed away and it is his nephew Sameer Chari who continues his legacy to provide the devotees of Cuncolim with a statue of the God of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth so that they can worship him for the duration of the festival before they immerse him while singing his glory, so that he returns back the coming year to shower them with his blessing. Sameer is a simple man with much respect for the man who introduced him to the trade. “My uncle was very famous here in Cuncolim. I now continue this tradition. The material used to make these statues is called Shadhu Mathi; it is a type of clay that is found at the river bank. There was a time when the statues were made of Plaster of Paris but the government has now banned it as it is harmful to the environment.” The sales count of the statues is steady and as days approach for Ganesh Chaturthi more statues will be sold.
Rahul Naik is a resident in the ward of Demani in Cuncolim. He is a devotee of Lord Ganesha and will soon be buying a statue from Sameer Chari. “Every year, I go along with my mother to buy a statue. We celebrate the festival with much fervour in my home,” he asserts.
Just like the Chari family, there is another family that deals in this kind of business during the festive period. Premnath Natekar is one of five brothers from the Natekar family. He has been in this trade for the past 26 years.He handles the business in Panjim at a shop on Dr Ambedkar Road while his brother handles the business in Margao.
Premnath’s shop has a variety of statues. There are statues that range from small to medium to big in size. Many of them are already packed in bags as they have already been pre-booked by clients. He points out to one of the statues on the table and speaks of its uniqueness. “This one is made of paper and a special kind of gum. It’s eco-friendly and dissolves within five minutes after immersion. My brother and I have sold a lot of these statues. Many of the sales were in Margao and only a few pieces remain to be sold in Panjim.”
A very long time ago, when Premnath was a child, he remembers his family being involved in the sculpting of these statues, but in this day and age, it is difficult to find a work force that is skilled in this kind of labour and thus the statues are bought from wholesale sellers in Kolhapur, Belgaum and Mumbai. “Transporting of these statues has to be done with care. They are packed accordingly and transported in vehicles that travel at a very slow pace so that there are no damages,” Premnath concludes.
