Hyderabad: With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, works are going on in full swing at several areas in the city famous for idol making. Dhoolpet is abuzz with activity and so is L.B. Nagar.
In the outskirts, the Hayathnagar area has already sprouted makeshift shops with Ganesha idols ready for sale. Artists are busy adding final touches to the idols in bright hues.
“Baahubali Ganesha”, where a Ganesha idol, complete with six-packs, is seen with Shiva linga on his shoulder, is a hit already. Warrior Ganeshas mounted on horses are also in demand.
The Ganesha that breaks the record every year, the Khairatabad Ganesha, this time will be 59-feet tall and in the style of Thrishaktimaya Moksha Ganapathi. Works on it are nearing completion.
In Hyderabad, as per traders, Plaster of Paris idols measuring 5 feet and above (some even 30 feet) cost anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 2 lakh. The price depends on the artist too.
Meanwhile, marketing of Ganeshas on social network has gone up this year. Facebook pages promoting the artists of Hyderabad and their Ganeshas, like the “Hyderabad Ganesha Collection” have increased in number. Suppliers of jewellery used for decoration of Ganeshas too are active on Facebook.
The “Dhoolpet Ganesh Collection” Facebook page, which is run by engineering students, has updates on the new trends this year.
The students are running this page to promote local artists and to get them a fair deal. They share prices and the details of artists for people who are interested in buying and thereby connect the buyers with the sculptors.
Krupakar, a final year B.Tech student of SRM University of Chennai manages the page along with Vinay, a final year B.Tech student from Malla Reddy Engineering College, Hyderabad.
“There are some famous artists like Sundar Kalakaar whose work has great finesse. We try to promote their work by posting pictures on the page,” said Vinay.
