India's Festival Economy
Ganesh Chaturthi and Idol Makers
How Ganesh Chaturthi supports idol makers, mandals and sponsors in Maharashtra and beyond, and the shift from plaster of Paris to eco-friendly idols.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated grandly in Maharashtra and beyond.
Public celebrations
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak popularised public Ganeshotsav in 1893 to build community.
- Mandals (committees) install large idols, like Lalbaugcha Raja in Mumbai.
Idol makers
- Workshops in places like Pen in Raigad district produce lakhs of idols.
- Many families depend on idol making for income.
Donations
Famous mandals receive large donations and insurance for gold ornaments.
Plaster of Paris
- Many idols were made of plaster of Paris (PoP), which doesn’t dissolve and pollutes water after immersion.
- Courts and pollution boards pushed for clay and eco-friendly idols, with rules evolving in 2024-25.
Artificial ponds
Cities set up artificial immersion tanks.
Economic trade-offs
Rules protect water bodies but affect PoP idol makers’ livelihoods.
The Pen workshop
In Pen, a family-run workshop makes thousands of Ganesh idols a year, shipping them across Maharashtra and abroad.
Thinking idol immersion has no environmental cost
PoP idols pollute water bodies.
Key takeaways
- Tilak popularised public Ganeshotsav in 1893.
- Pen is a major idol-making centre.
- PoP idols pollute water after immersion.
- Rules push clay and eco-friendly idols.
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