Ganesha, Hinduism’s most popular god, has brought much happiness in Indian-Australian homes this past fortnight.
We’ve just finished the annual festival dedicated to him, Ganesh Chaturthi. We’ve delighted in creating shrines to the elephant-headed, pot-bellied god in our homes, and marvelled at the photographs that friends and family put out on social media of their own creations.
For Murthy Dakshin of Sydney, it’s been a pretty busy month.
As a passionate idol maker, he’s seen a few interesting ones this year. “There was a Samurai Ganesha, and we had Smiley emojis on Ganesha’s trunk,” he recounts with a smile. “Ganesha’s mukut (crown) was once replaced with an Akubra hat making him an ‘Aussie Ganesha’, and a little one once wanted Ganesha to ride on a teddy bear instead of the usual mouse!”
Ganesha is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and bestower of happiness, health and harmony. Central to the annual Ganesh Festival is the installation of a Ganesha idol in the home – either store-bought or home-made – and all manner of creativity is encouraged.
Murthy started off making idols as a teenager. “I found some scrap metals and old motorcycle parts which I put together to make a huge Ganesha in my backyard with the help of my friends,” Murthy laughs recalling his younger days. “I‘ve used leaves, flowers, chocolates and vegetables to make Ganesha sculptures. Sadly, we didn’t have ready access to smartphones to capture the images easily like we do today.”
Murthy started making idols with clay when his two young daughters Mili and Kushi were very young – not only because idols were hard to come by here in Australia but also because it was a way of teaching them about our traditions.
A busy IT exec by daytime working at Hitachi Vantara, Murthy Dakshin found himself making his eco-friendly idols for friends – with his two little helpers by his side.
As word spread about his craft, the Dakshin family became sought after. In the last six years they’ve taken to organising workshops for people to make their own idols for worship. The talented trio now hop from one Ganesha-making workshop to another – across the length and breadth of Sydney – every Ganesh Festival.
Kushi Dakshin, 20, says “We start the workshops about four to five weeks before the festival. People organise these in their backyards or local community spaces. An average of 20-25 adults and children attend each.”
Her sister Mili, 22, adds, “People from all regions of India, speaking different languages, attend our workshops. Our youngest participant this year was four years old, and the oldest was an elderly lady in her eighties.” Murthy Dakshin
The money raised through these workshops is donated to a deserving charity each year. Murthy purchases the materials in bulk and provides them to participants at nominal cost. This talented family has over the years raised a whopping $ 67,500 for various charities through their drawing, painting, vegetable carving and idol making workshops. More details about their popular ‘paint on the spot’ events at charity fund raisers can be seen on their website.
Murthy loves the connect with children that eventuates at these workshops. Imagine the teaching moments, as you get the kids to sculpt the trunk or ears, and slap on more clay around Ganesha’s middle. ‘Why does Ganesha have an elephant head? Why does he have such a big belly?’ the questions are endless and so is Murthy’s patience in answering them, while dexterously fixing the idols as they are being formed from wet clay.
“It’s a great opportunity to tell the kids Ganesha stories, and about how we celebrated the festival in India, a country many of them have perhaps just visited on a short holiday,” Murthy notes. “Seeing the sense of achievement on the faces of the young ones as they make their idols – and the joy of their parents later – is priceless”.
When little Rohan and Meera took home their eco-friendly Ganesha, their efforts did not stop there. “They made their own garlands and rangoli,” mum Vasudha reveals. “I hadn’t realised that they had been quietly observing what I did every year during this time!”
Young parent Neeraj participated in a Murthy workshop with his daughter Kiara.“She learnt a new skill, yes, but it was great to see her having fun,” Neeraj reports. “It was a day spent with no phones or tablets in hand.”
As the Ganesha season extends in Australia, the Dakshins continue to be busy. Their next two workshops are on Sunday 22 September (at the grand Ganeshotsav organised by the Friends of India Group at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool), and on Saturday 28 September at the Charlestown Community centre in Newcastle.
“We had to stop at 50 registrations for this last event, but we’ll be back with more workshops next year, so Ganeshji can visit more homes and bring us all more blessings,” Murthy Dakshin says, the deep sense of satisfaction clear in his voice.
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