Ganesh Chaturthi: Family of 35, all idol-makers

A FAMILY MATTER: The men make the idols and the women of the house painstakingly add colour.

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Keywords: Family, Karnataka

Magadi Taluka (Karnataka): It's an activity that everyone in the Mallanna household participates in, a tradition that the family has guarded through the years to give their small house in Magadi Taluka the nickname, Ganesh House.

And as Ganesh Chaturthi approaches, the idol makers who occupy this house are busy again.

Says one of the idol-makers, Manjunath "For the festival, I get about 100 orders. We make the Ganeshs and paint them and give it to whoever comes. They have to give us their order a week before and then we start making them."

Every once in a year, Manjunath's house comes alive buzzing with activity — each and everyone of his 35-member family getting busy with the one festival and the one God who is their very sustenance.

While Manjunath and his brothers make the idols, the women in the house painstakingly add colour.

The idols vary in size according to demand. The family sticks to traditional clay for making the idols though it doesn't fetch them much.

"It's a loss for us moneywise. We just make the idols for pure satisfaction. We are making it for art's sake and to retain the art of making it," says Manjunath.

However, that's not to say that the family is not keeping up with the times.

"We have made Ganesh's in the form of Dr Rajkumar, Veerappan, Bin Laden, Ganesh playing cricket, Mahishasura, Narsimhaswami, Vyarmudi and Ganesh in orchestra," says Manjunath.

It's a tradition that has been in the family for 80 long years and in all likelihood, will remain with the family. After all, as Manjunath puts it, Ganesh is the very source of their livelihood.

"He gives us our respect and work," says he.

Ganesh is also known as the God who removes all obstacles and perhaps that is the reason why Manjunath and his family are carrying on the legacy.