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As Ganeshotsav draws closer, children in Pune are putting down their phones and picking up paintbrushes to create their own colourful Bappa idols.
Ganeshotsav will begin on September 14 and conclude on September 25 with Anant Chaturdashi. The initiative, themed "Paint, Create, Celebrate Bappa", is giving children between the ages of 6 and 15 an opportunity to celebrate the festival through creativity while also encouraging the use of eco-friendly idols. The Surendra Pathare Foundation organised 3D Ganpati painting workshops, which are being conducted across residential societies in areas including Kharadi, Viman Nagar, Wagholi and Vadgaon Sheri, bringing the activity closer to children and their families. Speaking about the initiative, organiser Surendra Pathare said the foundation started the drive around four to five years ago with the aim of involving children more actively in Ganeshotsav and giving them a platform to express their creativity. "Actually, we started this drive four, five years back to get children involved in the Ganesh Utsav. To create them a platform to show their creativity," Pathare told ANI. He added that while children often participate in decorating their homes during the festival, not every child gets an opportunity to engage in creative activities associated with Ganeshotsav. "We came up with that thought process that we should create a platform where children are coming, exploring their ideas, their creativity and getting merged with the culture that is very popularly followed here in Pune," he said. Pathare said around 2,500 to 3,000 children have registered for the workshops being conducted, with the programme scheduled over weekends due to school examinations. He also stressed the importance of encouraging eco-friendly celebrations and said the foundation continues to promote awareness among parents and children about environmentally responsible Ganeshotsav celebrations. Aishwarya Pathare, organiser of the initiative, said the foundation had focused on idol-making during the previous five years, but decided to introduce pre-made eco-friendly idols this year after observing that younger children sometimes struggled to make the sculptures themselves. "Small kids, it is very difficult for them to make the sculpture. Sometimes they are not able to make the Ganpati. Then they feel bad that my Ganpati Bappa is not made," Aishwarya said. "So, this time I thought that we would get pre-made eco-friendly Ganeshas and get them to every society," she added. Unlike earlier editions, when children gathered at a single venue, the foundation has created clusters within residential societies this year. The workshops are being conducted across more than 120 societies over three weekends. According to the organisers, around 3,000 students have registered for the initiative, with more than 1,000 children already having participated. Aishwarya said the initiative is also helping children spend several hours away from digital screens while engaging directly with the festival. "The children are coming here, painting with so much excitement with their friends, they are away from the digital screen and actually enjoying what this festival is meant for, enjoying and creating their Bappa their way," she said. The foundation is also facilitating immersion arrangements at societies, allowing families to carry out the visarjan of the eco-friendly idols after the festival. For the young participants, the experience is as much about creativity as it is about celebrating Bappa. Participant Samar said he enjoyed choosing his own colours and mixing them while painting his idol. "I selected this colour on my own, and I was painting, and I mixed the colour, and I painted it, and I like painting this so much," he said. Another young participant, Chivesh Shahani, described the experience as different from simply drawing and colouring a Ganpati on paper. "My experience was very nice because they taught story by story, step by step. And also if you wanted anything, they would give you the answer or give whatever you wanted," he said. He said he planned to take his painted Bappa home and keep it near his family's temple. For parents, the initiative has also become an opportunity to reconnect children with the cultural significance of the festival. Kanishka Shahani, a parent and resident of Viman Nagar, praised the organisation of the workshop and said she was happy to see her son independently painting his idol. "It was a very, very, very exciting day for me. I was a little sceptical because it is a new society, but it is so well organised, so beautifully done," she said. Another young participant, Sirisha, said the workshop provided children with Ganpati idols, bright colours and volunteers to guide them through the activity. "I really thank this foundation for helping people and for giving these Ganpati murtis," she said. She said she chose bright colours for her idol because of the festive atmosphere associated with Ganeshotsav and plans to worship the Bappa at home before the immersion. The initiative combines art, community participation and environmental awareness, while giving Pune's children a more hands-on way to experience Ganeshotsav, one that takes them away from screens and closer to the traditions and creativity associated with the festival. (ANI)
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