Ganesha to the rescue

It is that time of the year, when the streets are lined with elaborate thermocol backdrops, intricate carnation arrangements, fancy string lights, and a paraphernalia of colourful decorations to welcome Bappa home. But since the pandemic has changed our festive routines, art and craft expert Dimpi Karan Mehta, who runs the Juhu-based All Things Love DIY Studio, suggests we take inspiration from scraps of paper, old strips of cloth, popsicle sticks and other miscellaneous objects around the house to decorate the mandap.

Fan out some colours

Setting up the backdrop of the idol is important as it sets the right mood for the festivities. "You can rustle up something simple but colourful like paper fans. Either stick a bunch of them behind the idol with fairy lights, or string them together and hang them," she adds.

Method: Use colourful A4 sized cardstock papers or even old newspapers (that you can colour) of the same size. Cut them into three equal rectangles. Fold each piece in half vertically to create a crease, and then unfold them. Fold the bottom of each paper up and over to create the first fold horizontally. Flip and continue folding the paper, much like we made fans in school, all the way. Now, fold the entire paper following the (vertical) crease made earlier. On the crease line, tie a thread to secure the fan together. Stick the two ends with a double-sided tape or hot glue gun. This is one third of the fan. Repeat the process with the other two strips of paper, and put the mini fans together to make a complete one (as seen above). Cut out a contrasting coloured circle from another paper and stick it in the centre.

Make way for modaks

No Ganpati at home is complete without modaks, and Mehta tells us we can fashion a cool bowl for them out of popsicle sticks, ribbons and cardboard.

Method: Colour some popsicle sticks and cut them into half. Take a ribbon and glue the sticks on it. On a cardboard and a cardboard sheet, draw circles of six-cm diameter, and cut both out. Stick the paper on the cardboard. Hold the popsicle strip of ribbon and wind it around the circular cardboard base; secure it with glue. Take a fancier, decorative ribbon and wind it around the sticks. If you have an old jute rope, tie that over the decorative ribbon and make a knot. Add a decorative embellishment like a flower on the knot, fill the basket with modaks and offer them to Bappa.

Paper fans can be used as a backdrop

Flower power

"These DIY paper roses can be scattered around the idol, strung together with the help of fairy lights, or lined up together to create a boundary around the aarti thali, or the mandap," explains Mehta.

Fold a spiral of paper to make roses

Method: Take a square sheet of coloured paper and draw a spiral on it. Cut out spirals along the lines you have drawn, like a mosquito coil. Start rolling up the spiral from the outside, and keep going until the end. Secure the end with glue. Repeat the process with other colours to have a handful of roses.

Also check out

. This app allows you to make last-minute bookings for idols, pandits, decor, modaks, etc.
Log on to My OmNamo

. Indulge in the festivities while sticking to your diet with these vegan and paleo modaks.

Log on to yogisattva.com

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