Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: These home decorations in Mumbai blend piety, civic duty

MUMBAI: Many of the city’s Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav pandals have for decades woven in meaningful social and topical issues into their Ganpati tableaux. Inspired by these, a few Mumbaikars are doing the same, using their home Ganpati decorations as a platform to raise awareness about pressing social issues.
Blending cultural celebration with social responsibility, these citizens, mostly artists, focus on themes like environmental conservation, sanitation workers’ rights and the challenges faced by the farming community, hoping to inspire conversations on issues that often go unnoticed. This unique blend of activism and tradition allows the Ganpati festival to transcend its religious character and become a powerful medium for spreading awareness and promoting change in the community.
Sanitation workers’ struggle
Gaurav Sarjerao, a 27-year-old cartoonist from Byculla, uses his home Ganeshotsav to present socially relevant themes through art every year. This year, he focused on the struggles of sanitation workers. “We have tried to present the pains and problems of a very important but neglected section of society—sanitation workers. This class works in very unfavourable and frightening conditions,” he said. Sarjerao’s depiction of a manual scavenger has left a profound impact on visitors, evoking feelings of sadness.
The artist’s message highlights the harsh reality that sanitation work amounts to modern-day slavery forced upon certain communities. “Even after so many years of freedom and significant technological advancements, some of us are still being forced into sewers to clean up our mess,” he said. He pointed to Hong Kong’s advanced technology and questioned why similar innovations were not available in Mumbai. Sarjerao, inspired by a news article on sanitation worker deaths, completed the display in just 12 days with help from friends.
Working-class Mumbai
Short film-maker Parag Sawant, 32, has been creating artistic decorations on various social issues during Ganeshotsav at his home at Parel for the past 13 years. His work gained widespread recognition during the Covid-19 pandemic when he created a miniature model of a Mumbai chawl. Since then, he has focused on depicting different scenes using miniature models.
This year, Sawant’s theme centres around the struggles of working-class Mumbaikars. His tableau portrays the journey of a blue-collar newcomer to the city, confused and lost in the crowd, who eventually becomes part of it. “These hardworking individuals are the lifeblood of Mumbai, driving its rapid growth, yet they often remain unnoticed,” he said.
Sawant’s current display, his most elaborate yet, honours all these workers. “I have tried to create models of every working-class community in Mumbai, be it the kolis, dabbawalas, sanitation workers or florists at Dadar Market,” he explained, his lifelike replicas highlighting the city’s diverse working class. Sawant spent 20 days creating the tableau.
Pollution Solution
Franklin Paul, a 29-year-old art director living in Sion’s Pratiksha Nagar, has been decorating his home with environmental themes for the past five years. While last year’s display centred around the theme of ‘A Voice for the Voiceless’, this year’s is a miniature model of the Ganga Ghat in Varanasi to raise awareness about the importance of clean water sources and river conservation. “I’m trying to spotlight major pollution issues and the solutions to them,” he said. “Every year, I try to give an environmental message to those who visit my home for Ganpati.”
Paul and his friend spent nearly a month building the Ganga Ghat. “I use recycled material,” he emphasised. His Ganpati display, known as ‘Social Bappa,’ has gained popularity on social media.
Life of Farmer
Prashant Ghodekar, a 65-year-old resident of Thane, is spreading awareness about food waste through a display of a farmer’s life. “I have been doing this for the past 15 years without any background in art,” he said. “It’s a family ritual, and even my elderly mother helps by sewing clothes for the miniature figures in the scene.”
This year, Ghodekar’s display portrays the life of a farmer living in a small hut, and showcases the entire farming process from seeding and sowing to the final product. With a miniature plough, cow shed and other key elements of a farmer’s life, it also highlights how the farmer’s family assists him at various stages. “I receive a lot of appreciation,” he said. “Some people visit my home every year just to see my tableaux and share my message with their friends and relatives.”