28 Years of Home & Hand Made Ganesha!

The first one circa 1995 @wadala

As we grew up at home (Coimbatore) Ganesh chaturti was always a festival at home. Early morning one could go to the vegetable market or outside some temples where the idols would be getting made fresh from clay. There were some precast (in clay) or you can wait as the vendor will make one for you. This fresh clay Ganesh was used for pooja and the next day was visarjan, which had to be done in a waterbody not stepped on. So we would find a well- house with a well nearby and go and drop the idol for visarjan. No public worship or pandals were there and certainly no painted Ganesha.

Cut to Mumbai, the bachelor days went by experiencing the festivities in Mumbai especially at

2002 - here is Thejas's (3 yr old then) 

2002 - 3 Red Ganeshas home made

Chowpathy. Post marriage, 1995 was the first year at home and could not find anyone who makes Ganesha with fresh clay in Mumbai - no google, green-ganesha etc. those days. But we had an enterprising househelp who said he can get us clay. And the practice of Home made Ganesha started.

Every year we celebrated at home, the Ganesha has since been home made. As nomads we have moved around Mumbai, Cairo, Delhi, Chennai and everywhere it has been home made. Initially it

2004 @ Cairo - an array of handmade
Ganeshas by kids and a Pro (the main one)

2004 @ Cairo after Pooja

was me and later the kids got into it. The big task was always to find who can get the clay in time. We learnt there are different types of clay and making it from each can be a different task. From white, to grey to brown and redbrown. The ordeal itself can take just a hour or sometime longer. The sheer feeling of a fresh and Ganesha shaped in front of your eyes, pure for the Puja is a wonderful experience

2008 @ Mumbai- after pooja

2008 - star studded Ganesha

Being amateur clay modellers, we could never pick up great skills (doing it just once a year) but the kids experiemented with something from time to time. Sometimes we would feel is it the same as last year - however we may try to make it different, but that was fun. The last few years has been more done by them. It has been 25 years. I dont seem to have pictures of every year but a simple showreel puts up what I could pull out. In 2018 the MEraki kids got to make their own first handmade Ganesha - had great fun and wonderful to see children make it!

Happy to share! Happy Ganesh Chaturti to all - From here on it is a picture essay - the comments have trivia.

2009 after Pooja - Notice the Handmade umbrellas (by Kids)

2009 was Football Ganesha @ Mumbai

2010- a simple Ganesha @

Gurgaon

2011 @ Chennai only by kids - Mouse us Modak carrier

2011 @ Chennai after Pooja

2016 - Modak art Ganesha

2017 @ Mumbai Charturmugha Ganesha

2017 Chaturmugha after Puja

2016 - Bal Ganesha with Tablet and Settee

2017 - Fourfaced Ganesha

2018 - Ganesha with Saurn's Tower (Lord of the rings) as crown 

2018 @ Mumbai after Pooja

2018 - The Meraki Kids made thier first Hand made Ganeshas

2019 - A simple but better shaped Ganesha by Thejas

2019 Ganesha @ Mumbai

"Work From Home Ganesha" of 2020 - Cool all natural made with Atta, Milk & Haldi, by Thejas! 

Puja spread for Ganesha 2020

After a couple of years, Mumbai is vibrant with the celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi, feels great to see life's back to normal. At home too after a year's break of Pujas, Ganesha made his presence. Kids are away this time but Amma is with us. With Thejas not around to make the Ganesha at home, I had to get back to making one. 

Remembering Surya, this year's Ganesha is made of Sundrops resplendent with the colours of Sindooram and Sunlight showering blessings to one and all.