Ganesha festival turns art and pottery studios across Bengaluru into community hubs

As the city gears up for Ganesha Chaturthi, pottery studios across the city are opening their doors not just to art students, but also to families, children, and neighbourhood groups eager to mould their own clay Ganesha idols. With many of these art studios in Yelahanka, Whitefield, and Indiranagar turning into community spaces around the festival, idol-making is also growing beyond Pottery Town workshops.

Across generations

“It’s been nine years since I opened my studio space, and I have been conducting idol-making as a seasonal workshop; the numbers have escalated in the past few years from a small community event to an immense social affair,” said Ritu Jabham, owner of Mud Effects Pottery Studio, Whitefield. The workshop costs between ₹1,200 and ₹1,800.

Meenakshi Verma, who has been running Oriri Studio near Nagashetty Halli for eight years, says it was surprising to see families coming in to participate in the workshop. “The idea caught on from the young to the senior generation seamlessly,” she said.

Newer players

The increasing demand for such workshops has attracted even ceramic studios to step into the space. Sanchit Sharma, owner of Wheel and Potter at Srinivasa Nagar, who has conducted one clay idol-making workshop, said, “We’re a ceramic studio, but seeing the response for making eco-friendly Ganeshas in the city, we look forward to doing it more.”

Social media

The artists are also amping up their publicity measures on social media. “The number of people who reach out to us via social media is huge. While we run classes for only 10 people at a time, with multiple batches registering every day, the reaction is overwhelming,” said Arunima Gupta, proprietor of Maati Sona Pottery Studio, HSR Layout.