This paper Ganesha stands 25 feet tall

The ‘man-made’ disaster in Uttarakhand, which left hundreds dead and thousands homeless, has prompted the Sadashiv Nagar residents to celebrate Ganesha Chathurti in an environment-friendly manner, by saving clay. Hence, they put up a 25-foot tall paper-made Ganesha idol, the tallest-ever in the city.

Globally renowned sand artist Pramod Patnaik and his team from Jagannathpur in Odisha created the idol with waterproof paper and foam sheets. Though he has not used any artificial colouring components, the idol still looks fabulous.

“The paper and foam are 100 per cent waterproof and were purchased from Delhi. Each paper sheet cost Rs 1,200 and foam sheet Rs 1,400,” Patnaik said, adding that extra care was taken to ensure that the raw materials used were environment-friendly.

The top portion of the Ganesha mantap, which also depicts instances from the Kedarnath flood fury, will remain open as the rain cannot harm the waterproof idol.

When asked about the safety of the paper idol while taking it for immersion through the streets with live power lines, Patnaik said the standing idol can easily be changed to sitting position. “While placing it in the sitting position, the height of the idol will be reduced by about 10-foot, so it can be easily transported,” he said.

Ganesh Utsav Mandal vice-president Vinayak Pisale said that the mandal members met Patnaik during his visit to Belgaum to make the sand sculpture of Ganpati last year.

It took 18 days for Patnaik, his brothers Prashant, Sukant and two helpers to complete the idol.

Patnaik has made paper Ganeshas in Mumbai and other places too.

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The New Indian Express
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