Ganesha festivities go mostly indoors

No gatherings, no public processions, no cultural events. This year, the festival is a low-key affair

Those making and selling Ganesha idols are talking about an unprecedented decline in sales.

Anticipating low sales and municipal restrictions, idol makers have cut down on production. Some said they expected only 50 per cent of regular sales this year.

The government has capped the height of Ganesha idols at four feet for public display and at two feet for home.

“Last year, we made about 100 idols. This year we have made only 20,” says Vanitha of Govardhan Pottery Works in Pottery Town. The family has been in the business for five decades.

Many Bengali artisans, who make the more fancy idols, have left for their hometowns and haven’t returned, says Murali Boji, an idol-maker near Benson Town.

“The idol makers of Pottery Town and the Bengali idol makers always worked together. But this time, those who went home haven’t returned,” explains Murali.

Ganesha idols are on display on the Cox Town Market road but customers are few, says Shankaramma, an idol maker from K G Halli. She has been in the business for three decades.

“We have reduced the prices by half, but customers still aren’t coming,” she says. What will she do with the unsold idols? “It has been a bad year. If they remain unsold, we will either give them to the temples or dissolve them in water because the designs get outdated and we can’t sell them next year,” she says.

Echoing Shankaramma’s views is Dhanakumari, a potter from Pottery Town. “We have two-foot idols priced at Rs 1,000 and above. We have not reduced the prices because this is the only time we can make some money,” she says. Gandhi Bazaar and Majestic, usually bustling ahead of any festival, remain downbeat. Chandrashekar, an idol maker who also makes decorative items for festivals, says this year, everything has been slow. “We usually start work a year in advance and paint the idols three months before the festival. This year, potters didn’t make the usual numbers,” he says.

The potters didn’t paint the idols in time either, because once an idol is painted, it has to be sold soon. “The ones that are not painted can be stocked and used next year,” he says.

No crowding, warns Kamal Pant

City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant warns of strict action if festival guidelines are not followed. Only 20 people are allowed at a pandal, according to police norms issued on Tuesday. “Our DCPs are already in touch with pandal organisers and have warned them,” Pant told Metrolife.

Immersion in three days

Ganesha idols must not be installed in streets, playgrounds and any other public places.They should not be immersed in public water bodies like rivers, lakes and open wells.

D Randeep, special commissioner (solid waste management and health), BBMP, tells Metrolife, “The BBMP Commissioner’s order states that Ganesha idols cannot be kept for more than three days and the immersion should be done within three days in tankers. We permit only one idol per ward. Any violation will attract penalties under the NDMA Act and the Indian Penal Code,” he says.

Randeep says the joint commissioners of each zone must ensure social distancing, mask wearing, and don’t gather in large numbers. “All this will be done keeping in mind the religious sentiments of people,” adds Randeep.