Mumbai’s 40-foot fibre Ganpati at the Pahili Sutar Galli Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Girgaon will be brought back from the beach to its pandal after a symbolic water ritual on Anant Chaturdashi, continuing the community’s reuse experiment for a second year.
The idol, known locally as ‘Bappa Raja’, will not be immersed in the sea. Instead, the mandal plans to conduct a jalabhishek at the beach before dismantling the idol and storing it in a container for reuse next year. The mandal is observing its 65th year.
According to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai, the fibre idol has been redesigned this year while retaining the same structure used during the previous festival. Its seating posture, hand gestures, colour scheme, halo and background have been changed so that it presents a different appearance each year.
The idol was made by sculptor Prashant Desai. It is approximately 40 feet high this year, compared with about 39 feet when the fibre experiment began last year. Mandal president Sudarshan Sangle said the structure would receive new visual treatment annually while continuing to be reused.
The decision addresses a recurring logistical and environmental challenge associated with large Ganesh festival idols. The mandal said it chose a reusable fibre structure after years of debate and legal proceedings over the use of clay or plaster of Paris idols. Rather than commission a new large idol every year, the organisers have adopted a model in which the same structure is retained and modified.
The financial calculation was also part of the decision. The mandal spent approximately Rs 8 lakh on the fibre idol last year, while a large plaster of Paris idol costs about Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to make each year, according to the report. The higher initial cost of the reusable idol is therefore being considered alongside its potential use over multiple festival seasons.
For Mumbai’s crowded coastal neighbourhoods, the arrangement also changes what happens after the public festival ends. Instead of sending the large idol into the sea, the mandal will return it to its storage facility after the beach ritual. The process is intended to preserve the scale and visual character of the celebration while avoiding the annual disposal of a newly made large idol.
The Girgaon mandal’s experiment remains a community-level initiative rather than a citywide rule. Its second year will show how a large public Ganeshotsav installation can be maintained, modified and stored across festival cycles. The mandal has said it will continue reusing the fibre idol in the coming years, with changes to its appearance planned for each edition.
