Mumbai: Peacock palace, gallery on defence forces on show at Ganesh pandals

Mumbai: As the festival of Ganeshotsav comes to a peak, big and small pandals in the city are drawing attention for their themes that are a blend of grandeur and social welfare.
In Kalachowkie, the 65-year-old mandal of Abhyudaya Nagar Cha Raja has unveiled an eye-catching Mayur Mahal crafted from fibreglass and plaster of Paris (PoP). The mandal has won so many prizes that its idol is nicknamed ‘Paritoshikancha Raja’ or king of prizes.Organiser Akash Nerale said, “This year we donated rations to 100 flood-affected families in Mahad.”
Another prize-winning mandal of Anjirwadi, Mazgaon, known for its ostentatious sets, has installed a 4ft-tall idol near its Ganesh temple.
In Dadar (E), the compound of Radhakrishna Niwas society has transformed into a hall of tribute to the Army, Navy and Air Force. Organiser Abhay Chavan said, “We wanted to pay respects to our country’s defence forces in this 75th year of Independence. Artist Jollie Mamen has made silhouette paintings on the wall to depict all three forces, and Hrushikesh Banawalkar has created the Indian flag using cup art.” Its idol sits against a backdrop of the Indian flag whose three colours are made from scores of cups coloured orange, white and green.
At least two mandals have used tissue paper and alum to craft their idols. In J B Nagar, Andheri (E), the third generation youth of Riddhi Siddhi Mandal have crafted an imposing idol from these elements bonded with “ghati gum”, the colloquial term for natural resin. Organisers Kiran Patel and Dinesh Chindarkar said, “Such idols take approximately two months to create because it needs time for drying and finishing. And it is difficult to make in the monsoon. But we insisted on doing so because it is time we wake up to the reality of conserving our environment.”
The Vile Parlecha Peshwa mandal in Vile Parle (E) has been using tissue paper for years. This year its Ganesha idol resembles Vishnu reclining on Sheshnag, much like the Lalbaugcha Raja. “Our idol is made of alum and tissue paper, and will be immersed in an artificial pond on Hanuman Road,” said organiser Vijay Naikude.