27 July,2017 11:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Chetna Sadadekar
With less than a month to go before Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival lost some of its colour yesterday upon the death of renowned sculptor Vijay Khatu (63), the man behind some of the most spectacular Ganpati idols the city has seen
People pay their last respects to Khatu at his Parel workshop. Pic/Suresh Karkera
With less than a month to go before Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival lost some of its colour yesterday upon the death of renowned sculptor Vijay Khatu (63), the man behind some of the most spectacular Ganpati idols the city has seen.
Khatu suffered a fatal heart attack around 6 am on Wednesday morning, leaving 100-odd Ganesha idols unfinished at his Parel workshop.
Vijay Khatu was known for his larger-than-life sculptures, which were often as tall as 20 feet. File pic
Larger than life
Khatu is most famous for his creative and larger-than-life sculptures every festival, and friends and fellow artists said that the Ganeshotsav will not be the same without him this year. This loss will be felt most keenly by Ganesh mandals such as Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal (Ganesh Galli), Chinchpoklicha Chintamani, Chandanwadi, Tulsiwadi and Khetwadi mandals, which have relied on Khatu year after year.
Also read - Mumbai: Renowned Ganpati idol maker Vijay Khatu passes away
In fact, the Ganesh Galli mandal - now in its 90th year - had a special request for Khatu. Swapnil Parab, mandal secretary, said, "From this year on, until the 100th anniversary, we had asked him to replicate 10 of our most famous idols, but then tragedy struck." He added, "We are in complete shock. I had met him just the night before (Tuesday) to discuss certain things about our idol. On Wednesday morning, I heard about his demise. His men will complete the idol for us, but his presence at the workshop and at our mandal will be missed forever."
Last rites
Friends and family paid their last respects to Khatu at the workshop in Lalbaug, Parel, where he gave shape to thousands of his creations over the past 40 years. His body was then taken to Shivaji Park crematorium ion the evening for the last rites. Rajan Zaad, a close aide of Khatu's, said, "He was a teacher, friend and an elder brother to me. I always looked up to him for any advice and his place can never be filled even if all the sculptors come together to complete his work, as his final touch will still be missing."
Khatu continued the legacy of his father - also a sculptor -along with his brother, Rajan. It was only a few years ago that the two brothers went their separate ways, but Rajan will now likely make the finishing touches to the Khatu's idols. Other artisans who once learnt their craft from Khatu will also help to complete his work. These sculptors include Uday Khatu, Pranay Vaste and Raju Shinde, along with Khatu's own staff. Khatu also sold eco-friendly clay idols and several households have banked upon him over the years.
