A young artist gives finishing touches to Ganesh idols at a workshop near Guruwar Peth, ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Artisans are busy painting and decorating the idols as preparations gather pace for the festive season.
Families are increasingly turning to DIY and reusable décor to keep costs under control after decoration services quote several thousand rupees for home setups with premium packages in the Rs 20,000–Rs 30,000 range. Many said costs of celebrating the festival at home have gone up by 15-20% at a minimum. Undri resident Sarita Doshi said, “A typical five-day celebration at home would cost between Rs 20,000 and 25,000 last year. This year, my estimates indicate a spending of at least Rs 32,000-35,000. Small idols which used to cost between Rs 2,500-3,000 are now Rs 4,000. “Prices are up by 15-20%. The rising cost of key raw materials such as sugar, ghee, khoya, pistachios, cashews and almonds has led to a 10-15% hike in their prices. Puja essentials have also skittled household budgets, with prices of camphor, incense, cotton wicks, kumkum and other samagri going up by at least 10% from last year, local retailers said.
Because many guests visit us during the five days of Ganeshotsav,” Kiran Pandit, a resident of Kothrud, said, we are trying to manage the overall budget.
Most of the eco-friendly Shadu clay idols are brought here from Pen,” Aditya Bhide, who runs Shree Ganesh Kala Kendra at Sadashiv Peth said. Decorators are also charging more this year quoting higher labour and cost of materials,” Darshita Kedia, a resident of Wanowrie, said. We are opting for homemade laddoos now as prasadam for guests,” Aundh resident Girish Mathur said.
“There is major inflation across items this year. Everything from the idol to the mandap and sweets has become expensive. This includes the idol cost, cost of decorations, prasadam, lighting and even visarjan expenses. “The cost of labour and transport has gone up significantly. Mandaps made from sunboard sheets and artificial flowers cost more too. We have made inquiries in many places and everywhere the price is up. Sweets and food offerings are also more expensive. “We used to distribute dry fruit, mithai and laddoos to guests but now prices of premium dry fruit mithai have really shot up. People are also choosing to serve simple snacks to guests rather than going for elaborate catering menus.