Made from clay and easily soluble in water, this 9-ft tall, 800-kg deity at Dadar, with five heads and ten hands, is the tallest eco-friendly idol in Mumbai
The National Kala Krida Mandal at Kohinoor Mills Compound, Dadar (East) has proved that the height and size of an idol cannot be an excuse not to use environment-friendly material. At nine feet, they have the tallest eco-friendly idol, weighing in at 800 kg.
Towering tall: The 9-ft idol is set in an underwater scenario where Lord Ganesha is slaying devils that are in the form of a crocodile and whale. Pic/Sunil Tiwari
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The mandal, which is 20-years-old, went the green route eight years ago and has been commissioning Sameer Yelekar, a sculptor from Kalyan to make their idols. Yelekar told MiD DAY that the idol is made from clay and took him two-and-a-half months to make and requires 20 people to lift it up.
Yelekar, the sculptor of the idol, said, “I accepted the order of the idol well in advance, as such orders take a long time to finish. I only make eco-friendly idols and this year I made eight idols and this was the tallest idol that I supplied to Mumbai this year.” The 9-foot tall idol is easily soluble in water and will be immersed at Dadar Chowpatty.
In comparison, an idol made from Plaster of Paris (PoP) would take a meagre 20 days to build and a simple trolley to lift it.
Hand it to them
In addition to its size, the idol is unique as it has five heads and 10 hands. The idol is set in an underwater scenario where the Elephant God is slaying devils that are disguised as a whale and a crocodile.
The secretary of the mandal Satish Belgundkar said, “We thought of doing something for our environment and thus came up with the idea of having an eco-friendly idol. We get the idol from Kalyan and the only dilemma we face, is the rain as the idol can dissolve in water.”u00a0
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