It’s time for the arrival of Lord Ganesha, but the festival doesn’t need to begin and end with a store-bought idol. This year, Bengaluru offers a gentler way to welcome Bappa home. Get your hands dirty, mould with clay, adorn with mirrors, paint and personalise, or even shape the idol out of fuzzy craft wire. Not just that, you can even create a textured Ganesha on canvas.“After spending so much time looking at screens, people want to put their phones aside and make something with their hands,” says Saurav Arya, an event organiser at Small World. People today are drawn to both the experience of making something and the pride of taking home a handmade piece that carries “a sense of personal connection that something picked up from a quick-commerce platform may not.”For those looking to add a little more green, some workshops offer clay Ganeshas embedded with seeds. Once the festivities are over, the idol can return to the earth and, with a little care, grow into a plant — a beautiful reminder that the celebration lives long after the festival ends.Come with children, friends, or simply your own curiosity. These workshops help you create, connect and celebrate a sense of community and festive spirit.
“There’s something beautiful about Indian festivals, especially Ganesh Chaturthi… You give a formless piece of earth a form with intention and devotion (so you become Gowri — the mother, creator), celebrate with it, and eventually let go and let it return to where it came from”
Brunda M, artist
1. Start with a lump of clayFor artist Brunda M, working with clay is as much about the process as it is about shaping an idol. After sculpting for more than a decade, she says, “It makes you slow down, lets you make mistakes and keeps you in the present moment.” Over the years, she has also watched a sense of community grow around it, with strangers sharing stories and helping each other as they work.Designed for beginners, the workshop provides all materials and Brunda guides participants through the basic process. She says the idea is not to make participants feel that they are simply following instructions to craft a perfect idol. Her advice to first-timers is simple: “Don’t come trying to make a perfect Ganesha. Come curious. Clay is very forgiving, and figuring things out is part of the fun.”Make your own GaneshaWhere: Dialogues Cafe, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13Time: 11:30 am onwards2. A little mirror, a little magicLippan art, traditionally from Gujarat’s Kutch region, is known for its decorative mirror work. At this workshop, the traditional craft gets a festive twist, combining clay idol-making with colour and mirror embellishments.Participants first mould the clay into a Ganesha, then paint it and decorate the surface with small pieces of glass and mirrors. The result brings together two crafts, and a chance to experiment with colour, texture and reflective details.Ganesha Lippan ArtWhere: Espressoulster Coffee, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13Time: 3 pm onwardsAlso at: Social, IndiranagarWhen: Sunday, September 13Time: 2 pm onwards3. Paint Ganesha your wayIf sculpting feels a little intimidating, painting is another way to make your own Ganesha. At this workshop, participants get a clay idol coated with gesso to create a smooth base. Once it dries, they can choose their own acrylic colours and designs, with rhinestones and bindis for extra detail.Artist and host Sneha Deb Barma says, “The emphasis is on making each idol different so that participants can create a unique idol to take home.”Paint your own GaneshaWhere: Pixi, Ashok NagarWhen: Saturday, September 12Time: 2:30 pm onwards4. Give Bappa a fuzzy makeoverArtist Sneha Deb Barma helps participants create a fuzzy-wire Ganesha using a thermocol ball as a base and colourful pipe cleaners to build the form. She says, “Choose your colours, attach pipe cleaners to a thermocol base and shape the wire into the Ganesha’s body, head and limbs. A tiny laddoo, decorated with rhinestones, completes the look.”The workshop is beginner-friendly, and Sneha guides participants throughout the process. “Come to learn something new, spend a few hours making, or simply socialise while you work,” she adds.Fuzzy Wire GaneshaWhere: Espressoulster Coffee, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13Time: 7 pm onwards5. Turn Ganesha into 3D wall artDo you want to leave the traditional idol behind and paint Ganesha on a canvas? At this workshop, participants use a POP-based paste or tissue paper to create a raised texture on the canvas. Once it sets, they paint over it, creating the illusion of a sculpted Ganesha emerging from the canvas.The finished artwork can be taken home and displayed as a festive piece long after the celebrations are over.Ganesha Texture ArtWhere: Social, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday, September 12Time: 2 pm onwardsAlso at: Social, IndiranagarWhen: Sunday, September 13Time: 2 pm onwards6. Watch your Ganesha grow into a plantWhat if the Ganesha you make could grow into a plant? That’s the idea behind this workshop, where participants use natural clay and seeds to create an idol that can later be planted.Krishna Khurana, Social Sailor co-founder and COO, says, “Participants make the clay Ganesha themselves, placing seeds inside the idol as they work. Once home, the idol can be watered, allowing a plant to eventually grow from it.” He adds that the clay is natural and contains no chemicals.Plant Your GaneshaWhere: Social, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday, September 12Time: 2 pm onwardsAlso at: Social, IndiranagarWhen: Sunday, September 13Time: 2 pm onwards7. Build a mandap for your GaneshaWant more than just an idol on Ganesh Chaturthi? At this workshop, participants use MDF boards, cardboard and decorative elements to create a mandap of their own. It offers a chance to create not just the idol, but a personalised backdrop to welcome Bappa home.Ganesha Mandap MakingWhere: Social, KoramangalaWhen: Saturday, September 12Time: 2 pm onwardsAlso at: Social, IndiranagarWhen: Sunday, September 13Time: 2 pm onwards
