Coronavirus COVID-19 forces idolmakers to sell vegetables, casts shadow over Ganpati, Diwali festivals

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Mumbai: As the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis gets deeper, the pandemic is also likely to cast a shadow on the upcoming Ganpati and Diwali festivals. The idol makers in Maharashtra's Kalyan, who are struggling to make ends meet, have started looking for alternative sources of income by selling vegetables and biscuits. 

The sand required to make the idols and many other things is brought from Gujarat but due to the lockdown they are unable to get their hands on the materials. While some are using leftover sand and broken pots to redecorate the old statues. They are praying to the Gods that the crisis ends soon and that they can resume their work.

They used to make earthen pots during summers for extra income, but since the nationwide lockdown has been imposed people are not leaving their homes and so they have not been able to make any commercials sale.

Sadashiv Kumbha, a sculptor, said, "I make idols but people are not turnng up to buy the statues. I also sell earthen pots but everything has stopped, business is very low. I have been selling biscuits to make ends meet."

This year, Ganapati festival will be celebrated towards the end of August. Questions are also being raised if the festival will be celebrated at all unless a cure for the virus is found.

Anil Kadam a sculptor claims that the money that they make during these festival times last them for a year. "Our annual business is during Ganapati, Navratri and Diwali festivals. We are able to make enough money in these three months that last us for a whole year. If this lockdown is not over and coronavirus is not stopped then we will have to bear a lot of financial loss," he said.

The idolmakers said that there is little time left and feel that they cannot make a lot of idols in the time remaining. Usually it is the bigger statues that get them a decent price even though it takes up more of their time.

Meanwhile, in India as many as 39,980 coronavirus cases have been reported with more than 1,300 fatalities.