In A PoP World, A Couple Sticks To Clay & Ethical Craftsmanship
"We spend days, sometimes weeks, handcrafting an idol. Each piece is a tribute to the Bappa," says Prashant, gently brushing dust off a half-finished Ganesha in his modest Nagpur workshop. "But POP idols? They're mass-produced and sold in minutes. They're cheaper and that's hard to compete with."
The return of POP, which is harmful to the environment and banned by several state pollution boards until recently, has tilted the scales further against traditional artisans.
Mahurkar recently received a request for a 'Military Ganpati' , an idol of Lord Ganesha holding a rifle. "I asked them if we could replace the weapon with a Tiranga (Indian tricolour). They agreed. That's our job to preserve sanctity, not just sculpt forms.
"
His wife, Nisha, who handles the final finishing of the idols, echoes his sentiment. "Sometimes people come with the most bizarre demands. Once, a family brought a photo of Ganeshji styled after a cartoon character, holding an oversized modak.
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We knew their intention was to please their kids, but we felt the need to change certain aspects," she says.
"We explained the importance of maintaining the deity's sanctity, suggested gentler modifications, and thankfully, they understood."
But far more than quirky customer requests, what keeps the Mahurkars up at night is the mounting cost of keeping their craft alive. The couple finds it increasingly difficult to hire and retain daily wage workers.
"We can't afford to pay unskilled help anymore," Nisha explains. "And it takes time to train them, this work isn't just about moulding clay. It requires a deep understanding of balance, drying, and layering."
Prashant adds, "We spend more time training than actually creating. And yet, we have to meet deadlines."
They admit that taking shortcuts could make the business more profitable. "We could switch to POP and fool customers. But how will we sleep at night?" he asks.
"This isn't just a business. This is our legacy, our offering to God." In a world where mass production reigns, the Mahurkars' stand is both rare and courageous, a testament to devotion, ethics, and a dying art.
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