The religious spirit of Dhoolpet

Come Ganesh Chaturthi, their creations will hold the entire city spellbound. Dhoolpet known for illicit liquor springs to life before Ganesh Chaturthi. Locals feel it is a chance to wash away their sins by making Ganesh idols. T P Venu watches as the Gods take shape under their skilled hands

Oblivious of his surroundings, Jogender Singh is busy giving final touches to a mammoth twelve feet Ganesh idol. It is after three calls that he turns to us. Cannot blame him as the festival is a fortnight away. One can find Ganesh idols in every house, street corner, parking lots, open space, on roof tops and even on a hillock. Every inch of land is occupied by the hundreds of artisans.

Dhoolpet may be known for liquor brewing but from June onwards the residents get into action, in some cases the whole family gets involved. In a matter of weeks, crude structures of plaster of paris and hay get transformed into colourful potbellied Ganesha idols. Shankar Singh, an old hand says, “We take a lot of pride in the work and feel it is a chance to wash our sins off.” We get the drift; it is a possible reference to the illegal sale of gudumba.

Dwindling margins

With new areas sprouting in the city for Ganesh idols and labour cost increasing by the day, the artisans of Dhoolpet have no choice but to accept lower margins. Joginder Singh says, “I have 20 workers from Maharashtra. The salary ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,000 depending on their skill. We are not getting the price we want. This year we are compromising with 20 per cent margins.” As we take few more pictures, trolleys wade through the narrow lanes with Ganesh idols draped in plastic just in case the rain God showered their blessings.