Every Ganesh Chaturthi carries its own quiet rituals, and among them is Utti Kottadam — the custom of hanging handmade uttis as part of the festival’s preparations. Ask most people what an utti looks like, and they’ll picture the rounded shape of a matka. Ask Maada Sangeetha, and she’ll hand you something else entirely — bamboo at its core, wrapped in thread, newspaper and coloured paper, built by hand each festive season alongside the bamboo business she runs with her husband Maada Naveen. It’s a small departure from convention that has quietly become the family’s signature, and a craft Sangeetha is determined to keep alive even as the market fills with newer, commercially made alternatives.
In a small shed-hut in Quthbullapur, Sangeetha brings these uttis to life, turning simple bamboo, thread and paper into festive pieces by hand. The modest space doubles as a workshop where a tradition passed down through generations takes shape each season.
In a conversation about her craft, rocess, and the challenges of keeping an old tradition alive in a market full of newer designs, Sangeetha is quick to describe her work in the simplest terms. “It is a traditional craft that we have been trying to carry forward. These uttis are unlike the way the regular matka uttis are prepared,” she expresses.
Ask her to walk through the process, and Sangeetha lays it out with the ease of someone who has done it more times than she can count. She shares, “First, we create a basic shape through bamboos and threads. After that, we place newspaper over it, followed by coloured paper, and complete the utti by decorating it.” It is a layered, patient process that soon find its place during festivals, especially during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Despite the craft’s long history, Sangeetha does not shy away from the difficulties of keeping it alive today. “People think of traditional uttis as the ones that include the matka. The main challenge with these uttis is that it is limited. There are not many makers of these,” notes Sangeetha.
Making uttis is not her only occupation. “We also have a bamboo shop, so we look after the shop while continuing to make uttis. We try to manage both,” she highlights. Between running the bamboo business with her husband and shaping uttis by hand, Sangeetha’s days are split between commerce and craft — each demanding its own attention, neither one set aside for the other.
Uttis, Sangeetha explains, are deeply tied to the rhythm of the festival calendar. “They are mainly made and sold during festivals and traditional celebrations. The demand increases during Ganesh Chaturthi,” she points out.
For Sangeetha, the work carries meaning well beyond commerce. She shares, “It is an old tradition that has been passed down through generations. We want to continue the tradition and ensure that it does not disappear.” That concern is not abstract for her — she sees it playing out in real time. “There is a concern that these older traditions are gradually disappearing. That is why continuing to make uttis and introducing them to the younger generation is important. We are trying to preserve and carry forward this traditional craft so that it continues to be part of our culture,” she adds.
In Sangeetha’s hands, an utti is never just bamboo, paper and thread stitched together for a season’s use — it is a small act of continuity, made and remade every year, so that a craft does not quietly disappear.
