Marcel tones down Ganesh idol making for third year in row

Ponda: Marcel, a small temple town in Ponda taluka that once celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi with great revelry and pomp and had pioneered the creativity of local artists in showcasing eco-friendly Ganesha idols, has been going low-key with celebrations for the third year in a row.
Village artists have refrained from creating unique idols. Some claim it is due to uncertainty whether people would visit them in the wake of the ongoing pandemic. Some artists also pointed out that it was not viable due to rising costs in making the idols.
Except Sai Kala Mandal at Tariwada Marcel, no one has taken up any creative idol this year. The Sai Kala Mandal has created a 4-feet high idol of Moreshwar Ganesh – one among the Ashta Vinayakas, by using saffron-coloured wool. Samir Tari along with Namdev Tari have been instrumental in creating this idol. However, this idol would be open for the public only for seven days.
Marcel had emerged as a focal point of creativity with numerous local artists using eco-friendly and recycled material to create Ganesha idols. Most of these artists are untrained and amateurs; their enthusiasm was what nurtured the creativity, allowing them to depict the beloved elephant-headed God in various expressions. Every year, Ganesh Chaturthi provided an ideal opportunity for the artists to showcase their artistic talents.
However, many of them like Girish Navelkar, another artist from the village famous for his talent, said that that they have refrained from doing the idols due to the ongoing pandemic.
Kirtikumar Prabhu, a renowned artist from the village, has also been creating Ganesha idols through various locally available material such as fallen tree trunks, corrugated boxes, etc. He expressed his apprehension whether he would be able to create such idols next year.
“To make such creative idols you need a huge amount (of money and material) and since there is a gap of two years, we are unsure whether we would be able to muster the amount next year,” he said.