Ganesha.

Ganesh Chaturthi arrives every year. But for the Khatu family, Bappa never really leaves. Months before the beats of drums fill the streets, the family is working tirelessly – shaping and moulding Ganesha idols for thousands of devotees. For nearly 80 years, the Khatu family has spent its days giving form to the elephant-headed God. Watch him transform from the palm of their hands into towering figures of faith.

Humble Beginnings

When India got its Independence in 1947, Ramkrishna Khatu was busy making Ganpati idols for households. There were no hi-tech sculpting studios or idol-making workshops then. The clay idols were small and modest, meant to travel into people’s homes.

However, with time, the festival became a community affair and the idols began to grow larger in size. Some towering high up to nearly 40 feet. Nikhil Rajan Khatu, sculptor and owner of Kalasagar Arts, is the third generation of the family to carry forward the legacy. Nikhil says, “Over the years, the scale continued to grow. We have sculpted idols measuring 20-24 feet.”

For Nikhil, however, the journey has been organic. “I never saw my grandfather’s work as he passed away when I was barely a year old. But I saw my father and uncle work in the workshop.”

Men At Work

As a child, Nikhil would spend his after-school hours and weekends watching his father and uncle sculpt Ganesha idols.

They interacted with the Ganesh mandals and managed the workers. He was fascinated by the sheer scale of the creative process. Soon, a 20-foot Ganpati was not simply an idol, it was a spectacle. As a kid, Nikhil wondered how they made such big idols.

Running a Ganpati idol workshop is no child’s play. The craft may begin with clay, plaster, but it requires the vision of a sculptor and master craftsmanship. Nikhil imbibed important lessons from his father: How to negotiate and how to manage people. Every mandal has its own budget, and every idol has its own demands. Finding a middle ground between what a mandal can afford and what it takes to execute the idol is part of the business. Then comes the race against time.

Moulding Goals

With roughly 100 idols to be sculpted within three to four months, the workshop has little room for delay. Every stage has to move as per schedule. Nikhil’s father (Rajan Khatu) had earned himself the title of “Management King.” His eye for details and meticulous work ethics right from moulding, sculpting to final on-time delivery was unmatched.

However, in 2020, Nikhil lost his father to Covid. Suddenly, the responsibility of the workshop and family legacy came on his shoulders while he was pursuing a Master’s in Sports Management. “I always wanted to carry forward his legacy but I never thought it would come so soon,” he says. Adding, “I thought I had another 10-12 years more, post my dad’s retirement.”

Nikhil’s grandfather would make clay idols up to 4-feet. During his father’s generation, the material and scale changed. The shift from clay to POP enabled the family to experiment and make 24-feet idols. Now, the demand for scale has grown further, with the family working on idols that can reach around 40 feet. “Each mandal wants their idols to look different from the other,” says Nikhil. Yet, there is one thing in common – the feeling of celebration and togetherness. The Legacy Goes On!

Eight decades on, the Khatu family’s idols may stand taller, the designs may have become more ambitious, but for Nikhil, the essence remains the same, to keep a tradition alive. He is hopeful that someday, the fourth generation of Khatus will take the legacy forward amid cheers of Ganpati Bappa, Morya!

When my grandfather was working, there were limitations. He used to make idols up to four feet and they were made of clay.”


— Nikhil Rajan Khatu, sculptor & owner of Kalasagar Arts

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