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From
dangling trinkets, colorful expressions, huge variety of idols to
choose from and traffic disruptions to immersions, Ganesh Chaturthi
also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi has always been a festival that is
celebrated with much pomp and gaiety. The birthday of the symbol of
wisdom and remover of obstacles is also known as Ganesh Utsav. No
matter where you are, this festival is celebrated across the world
and in Michigan it is no different. The uniqueness of this festival
this year resides in the humble household of a young engineer
Shahuraj Mane. Shahu as he is fondly called by his friends who hail
from various ethnicities and religions, created a beautiful
hand-made Ganesh idol without using any molds. According to his
roommate and friend Imtiaz Syed, Shahu with his amazing skills and
creativity turned clay into a mesmerizing Ganesh idol for this
year’s Chaturthi.
According to Shahu, all his friends love to celebrate each and every
festival of India with great fervor and spirit. As he states, “I
actually miss being in India during every festival and thought I
would make this Ganesh Chaturthi as special as possible for me and
my friends. The whole idea of planning for this festival with
enthusiasm and celebrating with friends motivated me to do something
special”.
As you see from the pictures, the idol is made from molding clay
which can be air dried. If you keep this clay shaded, you can work
longer, especially if you are working weekend to weekend. Shahu
mentioned that “carving becomes easier and less harmful to the idol
when it dries to the right scale. Once the idol is completely dried
and there are no visible cracks, you can start painting”. He used
all-purpose acrylic paints as it dries off easily. For the crown and
jewelry, he used golden pearl pigments, which gives unique texture
and look. The pearl pigment is mixed with water and a gentle layer
is given on the required areas. Since he was working only on the
weekends, it took Shahu four weekends to complete the work.
Shahu hopes to bring the culture of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations to
Michigan where a month of planning, gearing up for decoration,
conducting rituals begin with much pomp and celebration as the
entire community can gather together to pray and celebrate with
excitement. With this in mind, Shahu along with his friend Anirudha
Toraskar started the Vakratunda Ganeshotsav Mandal in Michigan this
year.
Shahu is originally from a place called Rethare Bk. (Maharashtra),
but he did his schooling and bachelors in Karad and Sangli in
Maharashtra state. Shahu has created an idol when he was 13 years
old where he used natural clay along with water colors. He does not
intend to immerse his creation into the water as he plans to make a
collection of Ganesha idols over the years. Shahuraj Mane,
Michigan’s budding artist has sure redefined the celebration of
Ganesh Utsav in Michigan. Hopefully, the Michigan Indian community
gets to see a flavor of artists in the coming years.
Comments & feedback, please email
Mane.Shahuraj@gmail.com |
