Venita Gomes
With the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi just round the corner, sculptors from Mayem (Kumbharwada) have gotten busy with sculpting idols of the Hindu god, Ganesh.
Kumbharwada, in Mayem, is a village where there are several artisans engaged in the traditional art of sculpting Ganesh idols.
These traditional idol-makers avoid using Plaster of Paris (PoP) and harmful chemicals, and, instead, use locally available clay and colouring pigments.
It is fascinating to see entire families engrossed in fashioning these idols, especially as the festive day approaches.
From moulding to sculpting to designing and painting, these artisans do it all, that too with painstaking attention to detail.
The orders for these idols generally start pouring in months in advance, although there are last-minute orders, too.