Ganesh idol prices sky rocket in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Idol makers throughout the city are hard at work, making clay Ganesh idols and preparing for the Ganesh Chathurthi festival which is on August 31. Despite the Karnataka government's withdrawal of restrictions for the Ganesh Chathurthi festival, it might be difficult for the general public as the prices of the clay idols are anticipated to cost 50 percent higher than usual.

Due to the torrential rains during the past one month, the lakes had been completely filled making it difficult to extract clay required to make idols. This has compelled the idol makers to increase the price.

"We only create clay idols, which are eco-friendly, and we are currently preparing 400 idols. 200 idols have already been prepared. It will take a lot of work to make the idols. Firstly, we position the sticks properly and later, we place dry grass and carve it into the desired shape.Ultimately, we apply three coats—one of grass, mud, and clay before we can achieve the final, smooth finish," said an idol maker in Gandhi Bazaar.

"However, this time the idols took months to dry due to the moist weather which slowed down the entire process. Other than this, while several of us had clay on hand, some of us had to wait for a while. The hike in prices is also a result of this scarcity. Beyond this, many of us have faced a loss owing to the pandemic during the last three years, we have no choice but to increase the prices," he added.

Most of the idol makers are expecting better business this year as the state government has withdrawn the restrictions pertaining to the festival and since normalcy has returned in the city.Another idol maker also said that they are concentrating mostly on clay idols and do not utilise any harmful chemicals so that the idol dissolves in water naturally.

Local authorities across the state have been ordered by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to take action against vendors of Ganesha and Gauri idols made of plaster of Paris (PoP) and chemical colours. Speaking about the guidelines issued by the civic body, a resident of Banashankari said, "It is a great step taken by the civic body as it is vital to take care of the environment. We prefer eco-friendly clay idols and are strictly against POP (Plaster of Paris)."