29 July,2017 11:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Chetna Sadadekar and Ashish Rane
We won't leave his work incomplete with only weeks left till Ganesh Chaturthi, said Reshma Khatu, daughter of Mumbai's master sculptor Vijay Khatu
Vijay Khatu's children, Reshma and Rohit, are already at work in his Parel workshop. Pics/Suresh Karkera
"He always wanted us to join the business, and now his wish is fulfilled. We won't leave his work incomplete with only weeks left till Ganesh Chaturthi," said Reshma Khatu, daughter of Mumbai's master sculptor Vijay Khatu, who passed away on Wednesday.
After his father passed away, Khatu took on his mantle and became one of the most sought after sculptors during festivals. But his children had always shied away from the business, fearing that they wouldn't be able to handle it. Now, though, Reshma has decided to throw her hat in the ring, with the help of her brother Nitesh, and her father's team.
With a deadline of August 13 staring at her, Reshma, along with her brother Rohit, started working the very next day after their father's death
With a deadline of August 13 staring at her, Reshma was in her father's Parel workshop managing the orders on the very next day after his death. "We will complete the work on time, and idols will be delivered as my father had promised to the mandals," she said.
After completing a filmmaking course from Rachna Sansad, she was looking to take up a film assignment. But now her priority is to finish the work at hand first.
Khatu's workshop is currently handling 114 ganesh idols, the tallest being a 25-ft idol for a Grant Road Ganesh mandal. An idol has already been packed for Baroda, and another is set to be delivered by July 30 to a Kolhapur-based mandal. Reshma, who has only ever tried her hands at making small idols, said that the larger-than-life idols, which her father was famous for, involve great artistry and engineering.
Reshma plans to continue the business and is open to taking up orders for the upcoming Navratri festival as well. "The majority of the work is done; even for the Ganesh Galli mandal, my father had already listed the requirements and issued instructions to the staff. The 30 to 40 per cent of work that is pending will be done on war footing. I will definitely not stop here; we will continue to accept orders and keep my father's passion alive."
