Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

Idol makers hope to do well

Girish S. Pattanashetti

Orders come from different parts of Karnataka

ARTISTIC TOUCH: Idols being readied for the Ganesh festival that falls in September

HUBLI: The Ganesh festival is a month away and preparations are already halfway through. The twin cities known for their grand celebration of the Ganesh festival has many artists and idol makers whose livelihood depends entirely on the business they do during the festival. It is no wonder they only make Ganesh idols for six months in a year.

Many idol makers in the twin cities city have readied thousands of small idols measuring between three inches and three feet, and a few measuring more than five ft against orders that come pouring in from different parts of Karnataka. This year, they hope their work will be more remunerative. They also hope to get more orders.

The farmers of the region are already upbeat owing to the good rainfall the district has received this year.

As has been the practice, the idol makers start their work almost five months ahead of the Ganesh festival. They perform puja on "Ugadi Padya" and start their work for the year.

They bring the clay from the banks of lakes and ponds. To make the clay softer, the idol makers pound it with a wooden hammer and mix a little cotton, as it prevents the clay from developing cracks when it dries.

"Making small idols does not take time. Soon after Ugadi, we start the work with smaller idols and leave them for drying. We begin painting after the Shravana month begins. The bigger idols are made to order and are painted a week before the festival," Ganesh B. Ponarkar, a third-generation idol maker, said.

He said work on a five-foot-tall idol takes a minimum of five days, provided the idol maker gets a lot of help.

Mr. Ponarkar's wife Nanda and their children, Pavan, Smitha, and Sripad, help him make idols.

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