PONDA: With matoli adorning the Ganesh idol installations, the festivities bring in the message that nature needs protection, while cutting of hills, destruction of agriculture and forests for money must be stopped.
Traditionally, matoli consists of all the fruits and vegetables that are grown during this season. The markets are currently flooded with seasonal fruits, vegetables and berries that are available once a year. Matoli items are hung from a wooden frame attached to the roof above the idol.
Matoli items have medicinal properties; their use in the decoration sends the message: protect environment, which is destroyed day by day by cutting of hills and forest trees from where the Matoli items are sourced.
To encourage use of matoli items for decoration, the State Art and Culture Department even organises State level competitions. The participants decorate with Matoli items the full roof of the hall where Ganesh idol is installed, which draws huge crowd.
Datta Naik, Vishant Gaude, Ranganath Gaonkar and Tanaji Gaude from Ponda decorated the matoli by innovative way by displaying and exhibiting various images including of God and renowned personalities.
Matoli Artist Shrikant Satarkar decorated the Ganesh using 385 fruits and vegetables which also includes jungle and Bagayat fruits. “The purpose of the decoration is to send a message that we need to protect environment and the varieties of fruits and natural gifts,” said Shrikant Satarkar, who is a State award winner in Matoli contest.
So far, Satarkar has won the first prize four times at the State level competition; four times, the second; and three times, the third.
However, this year he is not the competing and yet he has used 385 fruits and vegetables in the decoration only to send the message that the hills, forests, rivers and whole environment needs to be protected.
A traditional matoli consists of fruits like chikoo, banana, orange, melon, mango, apple, guava, breadfruit, butter fruit, pomegranate, toringe, maulinge toringe, custard apple, coconut, pineapple, betel nut and many other fruits available in each region of the State. Vegetables comprise of banana flower, pumpkin, ladyfinger, cucumber and different types of gourds. The list of berries includes matulo, kangleo, nagsheo, gagrueo, kounna and karane, while the flowers include haranche fulla, matuliche fulla, maddachi painni and of course, mango leaves.
