Mandal in Mumbai uses used flowers and paper pulp to create giant Ganesha idols for 19 years

For many years, Sunil Maekar was concerned about the consequences of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which remained in ponds and lakes near his home in Vile Parle. He observed hardened silt, peeling paint, and idols that did not dissolve for months.

Because of this, in 2008, his family's mandal decided to completely stop buying ready-made idols. Instead, they began making a giant Ganesha themselves every year, using materials that most people throw away.

The Year Paper Towels Replaced Plaster

The Bal Gopal Mitra mandal is managed by residents of the Siddhivinayak society in Vile Parle East and has existed since 1989. Their approach to Ganesh Chaturthi changed when sculptor Digambar Maekar, along with his sons Sunil and Rajesh, began experimenting with alternatives to plaster around 2008.

Seeing the lakes become murky after every immersion, the family decided that their celebration should leave no trace. All three possessed idol-making skills. They settled on using paper towels stretched over a bamboo frame, resembling recycled newspaper idols that are now made at home across India on a smaller scale. Later, they started adding used flowers collected after the festival to give texture and color.

How 30,000 Paper Towels Turned into a 22-Foot Ganesha

Creating an idol requires months of painstaking manual labor. Bamboo sticks are tied with natural glue to form a tall skeleton. Then, layers of soaked paper towels are manually applied to this frame and left to dry in the sun. The process cannot begin before December, as monsoons ruin the paper.

In 2015, the family created a 22-foot idol from 30,000 paper towels, weighing only 150 kg. According to reports at the time, the paper idol dissolved significantly faster than traditional plaster idols after the bamboo frame was removed.

Then came banana fiber, used flowers, and new experiments.

The following year, Digambar and his sons scaled up. They produced 11 such idols from a total of 355 thousand paper towels. They were delivered to mandals in Goregaon, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Santacruz, Thane, and Kalyan, with prices ranging from 30,000 to 70,000 rupees depending on the size. One of them that year was chosen by the neighboring Mahimcha Raja.

Marine biologists who consulted at the time noted that idols made predominantly from paper pulp were relatively safe due to the cellulose content. Metallic paints, still used on some idols, remained a separate issue.

In other places, similar experiments took different forms. Some organizations now offer clay idols with home delivery, which are then collected for responsible immersion, while others create seed idols that turn into seedlings after the festival ends.

However, the Maekars remained focused on paper, and more recently, on banana fiber and flowers. In 2022, their 21-foot idol was made from banana fiber collected from wedding halls since January, mixed with paper towels to prevent cracking, and mounted on a Garuda bird sculpture.

In 2026, last year's Ganesha became part of the current one.

This year, the Bal Gopal Mitra mandal pushed the idea a step further. Their 25-foot Mumbaicha Peshwa was created using paper towels and paper pulp extracted after the immersion of the previous year's idol. The mandal now immerses its paper idol in an artificial reservoir, using exactly the amount of water needed for its decomposition. After the immersion is complete, the paper pulp is collected and stored for use the following year.

Over the past five years, their experiments have included banana fiber, alum, coconut fiber, vegetables, paper towels, and flowers. What started in 2008 as an attempt to find an alternative to plaster has gradually turned into a cycle of reuse. For the Maekars and their mandal, the festival now includes contemplating what happens after Visarjan, and what from one Ganesha can return to the next.

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thebetterindia.comSeptember 14, 07:30

Mumbai couple asks guests to bring stationery instead of sweets for charity benefiting 400 children

In celebration of the festival, Puja and Dipesh Dedhia in Mumbai have made an unusual request to guests: instead of traditional festive treats, they are asking people to bring notebooks, pencils, paints, or any other new, unused stationery supplies.

After the festivities conclude, these donations will be directed beyond their own home. The couple plans to use them to create stationery kits for approximately 400 students at Adivisi Ashram Shala in Hadavali, ensuring each child has fresh school supplies for the entire academic year.

For Puja and Dipesh, this is an extension of their Ganesh Chaturthi celebration traditions. Their approach to Bappa is eco-friendly: the immersion ritual is conducted at home, and the water from it, containing seeds, is then used to water their plants.

This year, they aim for the festival to extend beyond their home, transforming into stationery kits that will ultimately end up in children's school bags.

Constant Involvement

Puja, who is qualified as a chef and certified nutritionist, and Dipesh, who works as a banker, are the founders of the Matoshreee Foundation. For this couple, this initiative is not a one-time act of charity. Since July 2023, they have been preparing and distributing breakfasts to over 100 needy people from low-income groups every week.

What started as a small effort has turned into a regular weekly commitment. They have successfully completed 167 consecutive Sundays without missing a single one.

This belief that significant change is achieved through consistent participation is reflected in and shapes their Ganesh celebration.

From 40 Children Last Year to a Goal of 400

During Ganesh Chaturthi last year, Puja and Dipesh decided to add another type of offering to their celebrations. They collected 40 stationery kits for children from the underprivileged community. These included items that many of us might not consider when shopping: notebooks, pencil cases, paints, and other everyday school supplies.

However, how happy the children who received something of their own were deeply moved the couple. This year, they decided to think on a much larger scale. Their goal is to collect kits for about 400 students, including useful items such as notebooks, pencils, pens, paints, drawing albums, and geometry sets.

Nevertheless, preparing 400 kits is not an easy task. It requires coordination with suppliers, discussing requirements, monitoring supplies, and ensuring the delivery of everything needed to the children. Nevertheless, for Puja and Dipesh, every kit justifies all the effort if it helps one child feel slightly better prepared for learning.

How You Can Help—Even If You Are Not in Mumbai!

On September 14th and 15th, when friends and family visit the Dedhia home for Ganesh worship, the couple asks them to bring stationery instead of usual gifts. They accept new, unused stationery until September 20th.

Help can also be provided by those living far from Mumbai. Residents of other parts of Maharashtra, India, or even outside the country can contact Puja and Dipesh. The couple is ready to provide a list of necessary stationery items and supplier contact details, allowing supporters to coordinate their actions directly with the seller and contribute to creating one or more kits.

Since the offering to Bappa does not necessarily have to remain on the altar, it can become a new notebook in a child's hands, paints waiting to fill an album, or a geometry set packed in a school backpack for the coming year. For Puja and Dipesh, this is the essence of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration: welcoming Bappa into their home while carrying the spirit of generosity beyond it.