By Pallavi Singh,
A collector’s paradise is his/her own. People love to collect varied items and develop fad for collection. Some collect match boxes, stamps, while others have keen interest in collecting coins and so on and so forth. Sadhna Sharma, a local resident, has a unique collection fetish. She loves collecting idols of Lord Ganesha in different shapes, sizes and different material. Collecting idols of Vinayak for past 15 years she has developed a large collection of Lord Ganesha idols some of which she has made herself.
Resident of Akriti Eco City, Gulmohar, Sadhna Sharma started her collection of Ganesha idols 15 years back. It all started when her brother in law gifted her idol of Ganpati. She has an ever increasing collection of as many as 75 idols of Lord Ganesha in different shapes and sizes. “When I receive the idol 15 years ago I felt an attachment to Lord Ganesha and since then I started collecting idols myself. I love collecting Lord Ganesha’s idols so much that my friends always gift me a Ganesh idol on any occasion. I also buy idols from places I visit. This way I have developed a collection which is ever increasing,” said Sadhna Sharma.
She has Lord Ganesha idol made from different material and in different shapes and sizes. From very tiny idols to substantially larger ones, her collections features varied shapes and sizes of Vinayak idols, and that too in different material. She has Ganesha idols made from grains, marble, brass, crystal, and terracotta. She also has silver and gold plated photo frames of Lord Ganesha which are unique in her collection.
“I like Lord Ganesha for many things, but the most important of all is the significance of his structure. It explains so many principles of life, big ears to hear everything and a huge belly which signifies confidentiality. Every part has a hidden implication which we need to inculcate in our lives,” she added. She has also made wax idols of Lord Ganesha on her own.
Talking about the festive mood and celebration spirit she said, “This year we have established a Ganpati idol in our society premises. Everybody waits for Ganesha Chaturthi, be it elderly persons or children. Evening puja is the most awaited time of the day as everybody gathers at one place for the prayer rituals. It feels nice and to see this festive environment around. From next year we will also organise games and other activities. I loved the idea of eco friendly Ganesha idols where we plant a seed inside the idol and immersion is done in a planter.
This way we not only save harm done to the environment due to synthetic colours but also contribute a plant. Clay idols are still hard to find in the market. Even the ones sold as being clay idols are not 100% clay and have POP and synthetic colours.”
Article Source: The Hitavada