By Arré Bench Aug. 25, 2020
A gorgeous diorama of a Mumbai chawl celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi has been doing the rounds of WhatsApp. The miniature installation was created by Vedant Waikar, a student of Sir JJ School of Applied Arts, and Parag Sawant. Made of clay and recycled materials, the installation took a month to complete.
While most people who claimed that they would undertake a personal project during lockdown are still thinking about how to begin, artist Vedant Waikar has already completed his. And just in time too, as Waikar’s project is a diorama that depicts a typical lively and vibrant Ganeshotsav scene in a Mumbai chawl, even as the city celebrates a more subdued version of the festival this year against the backdrop of the global pandemic.
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A post shared by VEDANT WAIKAR 🎨 (@_colourmaniac_) on
Waikar, who lives in Mumbai and is a student of Sir JJ School of Applied Arts, and took up this project as a way to capture the festive spirit while respecting the safety measures in place this year. “There are some situations in which it is difficult to celebrate something, but we can celebrate our festival by taking some safety measures,” Waikar said. His miniature diorama has been attracting attention online for its minute details that really capture the chaotic, colourful atmosphere that surrounds a Ganpati pandal in less troubled times.
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A post shared by VEDANT WAIKAR 🎨 (@_colourmaniac_) on
The project took Waikar and collaborator Parag Sawant a month to complete. Working through the lockdown, the creators of the diorama had difficulty sourcing materials, so turned to recycled items to complete their project. Made largely from clay, the artists used empty fruit juice and hair oil bottles to fashion drums, and Fevicol caps for making buckets.
A Replica of Chawl using recycled material made by Vedant Waikar and Parag Sawant at Lalbaug to celebrate Ganeshotsav with great enthusiasm in the tough pandemic time. #EmmanualYogini #ParagSawant #Artist #Ganeshotsav #Ganpati #Festives #Mumbai #covid19 pic.twitter.com/b8o2i99LCS
— Emmanual Karbhari (@EmmanualYogini) August 25, 2020
The resulting creation by Waikar and Sawant is a magnificent celebration of the community spirit and joyful atmosphere that makes Ganeshotsav one of Mumbai’s most loved festivals. As the pandemic has cast its shadow on the celebrations this year, little icons like this diorama remind us how things will look like they once did after the pandemic is a distant memory. A Mid-Day report stated that this year the city witnessed one of its quietest Ganeshotsavs.
#GaneshChaturthi2020: Mumbai celebrates its quietest Ganeshotsav
Via. @PrajaktaKasale and @Pallavi_Smarthttps://t.co/69W6i7CqAo
— Mid Day (@mid_day) August 24, 2020
Responsible celebrations by the citizens took many forms, like immersing idols at home and not flocking to pandals. However, Waikar’s and Sawant’s take on celebrating Ganeshotsav might be one of the most eye-catching methods yet.
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