Times of India | 3 months ago | 29-08-2022 | 06:36 am
CANACONA: With Ganesh Chaturthi fast approching, members of the well-known Chari clan of Iddar in Poinguinim are busy giving final touches to the Ganesh idols at their workshop in the village. The members are following in the footsteps of their ancestors. Around 80 Ganesh idols of varied sizes are being painstakingly painted at their workshop by the Chari brothers with the help of other family members. This is the third generation of the clan working for the pious cause. Idol maker Anand Chari said that the tallest Ganesha idol made at their workshop this year is 10-ft high, while the smaller ones are in the range of 3.5-ft and above. “Five of us are actively involved in this form of art. Family members Rajendra, Jatin, Pankaj and Sujeet are lending him a helping hand. We do not have a set time for our work. Often we work for more than 12 hours per day,” he said. “Since 1990, we have actively taken the task of making Ganesh idols. The orders are placed by the clients one year in advance. We don’t do this work for money, but keeping the 150-year-old tradition alive,” he said. When asked about the source of the clay, Rajendra said that they bring it from Chaudi, Canacona, from a field situated opposite the Canacona Kadamba bus stand. “Once it is sourced, it has to be moulded. All our family members help us in this endeavour. Then the process of sculpting the idols begins,” he said, adding, “An idol needs at least a month’s time to dry. Then the painting work starts. Normally, August is the peak period as painting takes about 15 days.” “We could get our orders even from across the Polem border, but we limit ourselves to only our regular clients,” he said. When TOI asked Anand why they don’t solicit orders from Sarvajanik Ganesh mandals, he said such idols take up a lot of time and they have a high demand from their local clientele. A member of the family said that as years pass by, it is becoming difficult for them to get clay for the idols. The options in the near future would be to source it either from Mandrem in North Goa or Ankola in Karnataka. According to Anand, the handmade idols prepared at their workshop are eco-friendly and 100% biodegradable. However, he regrets ease of availability of idols made of plaster of paris in the market. “Such idols come from Maharashtra at least three months in advance. They are not eco-friendly and their residue remains in water, either getting washed off to faraway places or it lies in the open. It is not conducive for religious beliefs,” he said.