mandal from Nagpur. In 2014, Asrani and his team decided to reinvent their community Ganeshotsav celebrations by using a different idol designs every year.
At first, they borrowed visual elements from the Hindu pantheon, blending in the forms of deities like Agnidev and Samudradev to the traditional look of the elephant-headed god.
In 2019, they added an environmental theme to their celebration. Their idol last year showed Ganesh holding the female-form of the river Ganga in his arms, purportedly saving it from environmental pollution.
Plastic wrappers, tetra packs and various disposables lined the decorations.“It went viral on social media. Thousands of people from across Nagpur came to see it," says Asrani.