Mumbai, September 11: IN a brightly-lit workshop cramped with life-size Ganpati idols in Lalbaug, 25-year-old Suraj Kumar sits at the feet of one, paint brush in hand and rapt in his craft, deftly applying a coat of glossy yellow paint on the Lord’s dhoti. Kumar, a farmer from Bihar’s Vaishali zilla, says he is drawn to Mumbai at this time every year.

“Back in our village, Ganesh puja is not such a grand affair. But for the past five years, I’ve been coming here to assemble and paint Ganpati idols, and now I’ve developed such a liking for it that I can’t quit,” he explains.

Kumar is not alone in his devotion. Every year, by the end of May or June, as Mumbai’s artists begin conceptualising and erecting Ganesh idols, artisans from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan travel to the city and offer their services for a salary of about Rs 250 to Rs 300 a day. Their work includes assembling idols, polishing and painting them and making them ready for sale. “We come around June and work till late September. After the Ganpati puja, we move on to decorate Devi Ma for Durga Puja and return home after that,” says Kumar.

Having visited Mumbai in the monsoons of 2002 for the first time on a friend’s advice, Kumar today is very happy with his decision to work with Ganpati artists. “Yeh Bhagwan ka kaam hai, man ko shanti milti hai, baaki kaam main unnati hoti hai ,” he says.

This year, Kumar has a new colleague—a neighbour from his village, Raju Saha (23). On other days, Saha does menial work in Gorakhpur but he decided to accompany Kumar to the city this time around. “ Aab tak mujhe colouring karne nahi aaya hai . I am just learning by watching now,” he says shyly.

Kumar agrees, “It is a hard task. When I assembled Ganpatis for the first time, my hand was still unsettled. But every night after work, I would pick a Ganesh image from a book and try to sculpt it out with the leftover plaster-of-Paris (PoP).” Kumar and his co-workers have already assembled over 400 Ganpatis this year and are now giving them final touches, including painting, applying glitter and cleaning up.

Near Lower Parel station, at a workshop opposite the railway garage, 19-year-old Prakash Jhajoria from Rajasthan adds, “Yeh ekdum sahi kaam hai.” Jhajoria, who gets paid only Rs 110 a day and works from 8 am to 8 pm, has been living with his family in Mumbai for a while now and enjoys his work. “My drawing was very good when I was in school too,” he explains.

Some of the best concepts at the workshops were Ganpatis in Lord Vishnu’s pose as Guruvayuraapan (the Lord of Guruvayur in Kerala), as Venkatajalapati (of Tirupati) and as Sai Baba, and an unfinished dancing idol over a shoe flower that the ‘karigars’ said they had fun painting. Now, as the work ends, many have already begun going home while some plan to stay on till Durga puja, they said.