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IN PHOTOS: Meet the women artists giving Mumbai’s Ganapati idols their final artistic touch

Updated On: 20 August, 2026 11:03 AM IST | Tarun Verma

As Mumbai gears up for Ganeshotsav, women artists across the city are playing an important role in giving Ganapati idols their final artistic touch. While idol-making and shaping have traditionally been seen as a male-dominated craft, painting, ornamentation and other finishing work have increasingly become a speciality for women artists. (Pics/Rane Ashish)

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01
Priyanka Badabe, a resident of Kalachowky, who took up Ganapati idol-making last year. After beginning her journey in the craft, Badabe has already received orders for 20 idols this year
Priyanka Badabe, a resident of Kalachowky, who took up Ganapati idol-making last year. After beginning her journey in the craft, Badabe has already received orders for 20 idols this year
02
Ayushi Pasi, a resident of Ghatkopar who works in international telecommunications, Ganapati decoration has been a part of her life since childhood. Over the years, her experience has turned her into a specialist in ornament decoration for Ganapati idols, allowing her to combine her professional career with her passion for the traditional craft.

Ayushi Pasi, a resident of Ghatkopar who works in international telecommunications, Ganapati decoration has been a part of her life since childhood. Over the years, her experience has turned her into a specialist in ornament decoration for Ganapati idols, allowing her to combine her professional career with her passion for the traditional craft.

03
Yashada Mervkaar, a Girgaum resident and working woman, has been specialising in painting the eyes of Ganapati idols for the past seven years

Yashada Mervkaar, a Girgaum resident and working woman, has been specialising in painting the eyes of Ganapati idols for the past seven years

04
Former Chinchpokli lawyer Manasvi Manohar Bagwe is a third-generation Ganapati idol-maker. Her father, Manohar, crafted idols for Ganesh Galli’s Mumbai Cha Raja for eight years and Lalbaugcha Raja for seven  years, with their creations also sent to Australia in 2016 and 2022

Former Chinchpokli lawyer Manasvi Manohar Bagwe is a third-generation Ganapati idol-maker. Her father, Manohar, crafted idols for Ganesh Galli’s Mumbai Cha Raja for eight years and Lalbaugcha Raja for seven  years, with their creations also sent to Australia in 2016 and 2022

05
Nikita Bilaye Padwal, a Girgaum resident and homemaker, is the fourth generation of her family in the profession. She started making idols after Std X and joined the profession full-time after SYJC

Nikita Bilaye Padwal, a Girgaum resident and homemaker, is the fourth generation of her family in the profession. She started making idols after Std X and joined the profession full-time after SYJC

06
Prasiddhi and Sanika, both second-year Applied Arts students, paint Ganapati idols at the Arun Datte workshop in Lalbaug

Prasiddhi and Sanika, both second-year Applied Arts students, paint Ganapati idols at the Arun Datte workshop in Lalbaug

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