Nirmitee Art Connoisseurs Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 1001 eco-friendly Ganesha idols and 101 Bal Ganeshas made from unconventional raw materials such as jute, dried vegetables and Weaver bird nests 

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Terracotta Ganesh with jute string work</td></tr></tbody></table>Irrespective of what faith you belong to, during Ganesh Chaturthi, the entire city goes into a religious frenzy. The not-so glamorous images of the festival emerge only during the immersion (visarjan) when maimed idols, made from hazardous Plaster of Paris, bob up and down in water. These recurring, disturbing sights prompted Nirmitee Art Gallery to organise an eco-friendly Vakratund Mela in 2006. This year, Vakratund Mela will feature 1001 idols made from materials like papier-mu00e2chu00e9, jute, dried vegetables, brass, clay, bamboo and even Weaver bird nests. The exhibition includes 101 idols of Bal Ganesha and 51 tortoises since they are considered auspicious and are eco-friendly creatures as they clean the water. The gallery also plans to organise drawing competitions for kids to raise awareness about the eco- system. "The perception of Lord Ganesha has changed over the years. He is not only considered a deity, but also perceived as a friend by children. We believe children are better communicators of our concern for conservation," says Surendra Khajanchi, owner of Nirmitee Art Gallery. While a major chunk of the idols are made in-house at their studio, with guidance from the art director Mita K Punamiya, the rest of the artworks are sourced from 5,000 artisans dispersed all over the country. They have Kadam wood artefacts from Rajasthan, papier-mu00e2chu00e9 products from Chennai, Rosewood idols from Kerala, Dokra art from Orissa and tribal art from Bangalore. They even had a Ganesha idol made from dried mushrooms which was instantly sold out when the exhibition commenced. "The gallery acts as an intermediary between tribals, village artisans and the modern designers. We amalgamate the traditional techniques and apply modern design aesthetic to create art. To keep up with the times, some of our designs even feature Ganesha with laptops," adds Khajanchi.u00a0 The gallery also stocks pottery, murals, corporate gifts, paintings, puppets and curios.
At: Nirmitee Art Connoisseurs Gallery, 4/5, Khosravi Estate, SK Bole Road, near Portuguese Church, Dadar (W). Till: August 23, from 11 am to 8 pm Call: 24229139 / 24223655 Price range: Rs 40 to Rs 85,000

Nirmitee Art Connoisseurs Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 1001 eco-friendly Ganesha idols and 101 Bal Ganeshas made from unconventional raw materials such as jute, dried vegetables and Weaver bird nests 

Elephant God goes green at Vakratund Mela

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Elephant God goes green at Vakratund Mela

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