KARIMNAGAR: We eagerly wait every year for Lord Ganesha, the beautiful Elephant God, to grace our homes and hearts with his mooshak. Sometimes just two-feet tall but other times a big and proud emperor of sorts, the ladoos in his hand are the only weakness he has. While we explore our neighbourhoods to find the perfect idol for our homes, an artist from Kolkata is busily creating an array of Ganesha idols on the outskirts of Karimnagar city.
But Saheb Paul’s idols aren’t just any idols; he imports clay from Kolkata and mixes it with local clay to craft many beautiful Ganeshas. He also uses completely environmentally friendly materials such as hay, bamboo sticks, wood, jute and kobbari peechu, which is the outer husk of a coconut. And he uses only water colours for his colourful creations.
“Every year, the demand for these idols increases. This year, the demand for clay idols has come from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. So here I am, making idols from two feet to 20 feet,” he jovially said.
Demand is rising for these eco-friendly Ganesh idols because of the upswing in environmental awareness. Mahipal Reddy, a happy customer and ardent devotee from Jammikunta, said, “Every year, I purchase clay Ganesha idols from Saheb Paul’s unit. Then we celebrate at the pandal for nine days.
” Bommakal village in Karimnagar also commissions large Ganesha idols from Saheb Paul, who makes it at the pandal site itself. Paul added that another unit has been set up in Koruntla to.