Ganesh festival: Artist designs ‘Magical Ganpati’ idol with modak floating in air

MUMBAI: An artist from Mumbai has come up with a unique Lord Ganesh idol for the upcoming Ganpati festival wherein the ‘modak’ (sweet offering) kept in front of the deity can be seen flying or floating in the air.

Ramakant Devaria, the 28-year-old idol maker, has named it the “Magical Ganpati” or “levitating Bappa”.

Talking to PTI here on Saturday, Devaria, who is an electrical engineer by profession, said making the magnetic circuit to float the ‘modak’ in the air was not an easy task.

 “I got this idea four years ago when I was talking to my colleagues. It has taken me around 3.5 years to finally complete the circuit, to make it seem natural, and make the modak float in the air,” said Devaria, who has been making eco-friendly Ganpati idols for about two decades now.

The artist said he has maintained naturality of the Ganpati idol by making it using mud, and kept his creativity separate from it.

 “This floating modak is an add on to the Ganpati idol, we haven’t merged this with the idol, we have kept the cultural essence of the idol alive. People can use it as a decorative also after the immersion of the Ganpati idol,” he said.

Devaria plans to display these idols in his shop first, assess the response from people and then craft more such designs.

He has been sculpting idols since he was a child and now works as an engineer in Pune while pursuing his creative interest on weekends.

The 10-day Ganpati festival will be celebrated next month. (PTI)