Rintu Rathod started making Ganpati idols out of chocolate 13 years ago and ever since then has been making them in different shapes and sizes. Photos Courtesy: Rintu Rathod/Sujata Das
Rathod made the switch to eco-friendly idols after seeing broken pieces of Ganpati Bappa's POP idol strewn around while she was walking along Juhu beach in Mumbai after Ganeshotsav a little over a decade ago.
When the 52-year-old first started in 2011, she made a Ganpati with sugar and almond paste but slowly moved to making the idol with different types of chocolate - milk, black and white. Over the years, she has also made a Kheer Ganpati, and others out of rose milk, haldi milk and even panchamrut. However, it doesn't end there for the Mumbaikar because after Rathod immerses it, she distributes the prasad to an orphanage as she believes Ganpati Bappa would be very happy to see children happy.
This year, Rathod has been busy because she took as many as 60 orders. However, now she is busy making a three-feet Ganpati idol out of millets because it is the 'Year of Millets'. She will combine it with chocolate, and jaggery instead of sugar, to make a healthy alternative, that also acts like a protein shake.
Elsewhere in Mumbai, Sujata Das started making eco-friendly Ganpati idols seven years ago because she wanted to teach her young children about the importance of paying attention to environment. In her first year, she made her Ganpati idol from clay and decorated it with multiple paper fans (in picture) to give it a unique but yet simplistic appeal.
Over the years, Das makes her idols out of shadu clay and decorates it with different kinds of elements like paper and books too. This year, her theme is going to be 'Every end has a new beginning'.
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