Ganesh Chaturthi 2021: Santacruz artist creates ‘Tridev Ganpati’

Rathod poses with her creation

It was 11 years ago that Santacruz-based artist and sculptor Rintu Rathod's innovation - the chocolate Ganesha - took Mumbai by storm and brought the concept of edible idols to Mumbaikars. Every year since then, it has become a ritual for her to create a new and creative form of Bappa's idol during Ganeshotsav. Last year, Rathod's creation was a kheer Ganpati. This year, it's ‘Tridev Ganpati,' which comprises three idols atop Mt. Kailash.

"This year Bappa has come to our place as Tridev, in the form of all my three inventions i.e. chocolate Ganpati, kheer Ganpati - made with rice, milk powder, sugar, dry fruits, and spices like cardamom, nutmeg, and saffron; and my latest innovation, the haridra/haldi milk Ganpati - made with turmeric, milk powder, misri (rock sugar) and immunity booster spices, which when immersed in milk, turn into haldi milk prasad. All three are sitting on the chocolate and caramel Kailash mountain, watching over the world," said Rathod, speaking to mid-day. The whole creation weighs 80 kg and is 2ft x 3ft. It took Rathod 48 hours to create it.

What the idols mean

"The world is going through many challenges right now…and the Tridev have arrived to bless mankind," she said. "The haridra/haldi milk Ganpati is to save us from the pandemic with a promise of health as it's full of immunity booster spices. The divine white kheer Ganpati is for universal peace…we know what the situation in many parts of the world is like right now. Lastly, the chocolate Ganpati signifies the Earth and has arrived to heal the earth. It also gives us a message to take care of mother Earth. The world needs all these three blessings right now," she added.

‘Don't harm the environment'

Rathod has created the three Ganpati idols using different techniques. She said, "I always create all my idols single-handedly. The toughest part is always the innovation and correcting the formula for each of my creations. I have to also be extremely careful about hygiene. I strictly follow international hygiene standards, which make the process quite tough. After visarjan (in milk which the idols dissolve in) we go to some orphanages in Mumbai and distribute the prasad to the kids living on the streets." When asked how she managed to come up with new and creative ideas every year for Ganpati, she said, "That's Ganesha's blessings to me. He inspires me to come up with new ideas every time which can save his beautiful creation - our Mother Earth - and also make some little deserving kids happy. I would urge everyone to celebrate festivals since they are an integral part of our culture - but not at the cost of our environment. My creations serve all purposes: we can celebrate our festival as per tradition without harming the environment in any way and we can put a smile on some little faces."