The makers of Ganesha idols are not in a festive mood. The dip in the sale of idols owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on celebrations in public has left them disappointed.
“I don’t know for how long we should face this situation”, asked Prakash, an idol seller at Chikka Garadi Street in the heart of Hassan city on Thursday. His family has been into idol-making for years and every year the family made good business during the Ganesha festival.
Artists making idols of Lord Ganesh
“This time, we did not receive orders for large-size idols as people were anticipating restrictions by the government. And, there are no many takers for the small idols as well. For the second consecutive year, we are facing loss”, he said. In normal years, they make clay idols of Ganesha ahead of the festival. They make pots for the rest of the year.
“During the marriage season, we used to do business by selling clay pots. The sale of pots also has come down as the pandemic has forced people to either postpone marriages or keep them low key. We have no business for two years”, said Kiran, also an idol seller.
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The idol makers have demanded that the State government announce a package for them, considering their plight. “The government should respond to our problems as well. We are expecting a financial package for us”, Kiran added.
