How Mumbai is worshipping Ganpati in the time of Covid – Hindustan Times

Mumbaiites have welcomed their favourite festival with many families making eco-friendly idols at home. They have also stuck to simple paper flower decorations instead of using fresh flowers.

While some have made idols out of chocolates and other sweet dishes, others have used clay in order to celebrate the festival in the safest way.

Sumeet Patil, a Dadar resident, created Ganpati idol from quilts. Patil, an art director by profession, said: “We usually forget about the unused stuff at home that can be utilized in a creative manner…I just took a month to convert my idea into reality.”

Baker Neha Divekar, whose son was stuck in Paris due to the pandemic, decided to celebrate the festival for the first time by installing Ganpati idol at home after his return home in June. “I knew that I wanted to install the idol but at the same time I was sure that I was not going to leave home to buy an idol. This is why I decided to attend an online class to learn to make an eco-friendly Ganpati so that the idol can be immersed at home itself. No guests have been invited..,” she said.

Pranali Sahasrabudhe, a professor and a Vile Parle-East resident, said, “I have been installing eco-friendly Ganpati at home for four years now, but this is the first time that I have not used any decoration material that needed to be bought. So much so that all my flowers are made from papers available at home so that I don’t have to enter a market place to buy them. Moreover, I have even asked my extended family to remain at home and have assured them to video call during the aarti.”