Simple gift turns into a hobby for this Ganesh idol collector

Collecting Ganesh idols since past 15 years, 400 idols in his collection

VAIBHAV PARWAT

Aurangabad, Sep 3:

People love to collect varied items. Some collect match boxes, stamps, while others have keen interest in collecting coins and so on. However, Kshitij Dashrathe, a local resident, has a unique collection. He loves collecting idols of Lord Ganesh in different shapes, sizes and different materials. Collecting idols for the past 15 years he has developed a collection of nearly 400 Ganesh idols.

The 45-year-old Kshitij, a civil engineer by profession and a resident of Gulmandi, started pursuing this as a hobby in 2006 when his mother-in-law gifted him a small Ganesh idol while he recovered from a tragic incident. Today, his collection has as many as 400 idols of Lord Ganesh in different shapes and sizes. “When I received the idol 15 years ago I felt an attachment to Lord Ganesh and since then I started collecting idols myself. I love collecting idols so much that my friends always give 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.”

Collection has various idols

Idols of Ganesh operating a computer, reading books with spectacles, treating a patient with a stethoscope or playing chess, caroms, flute and football such manifestations can be found in his collection. Two wooden racks on the top floor of his house are stocked up with idols made up of decorative stones, pearls, wood, clay, gypsum and copper. He also has an idol that is an inch in height, to a khondalite Ganesh idol weighing nearly 100 kg. There are also idols of steel, wood, glass, paddy grains, coconut, terracotta, ceramic, charcoal, silver, plastic, paper, bamboo and many more. However, he is yet to exhibit this collection outside his house.

Rare idols from different countries

Ganesh idols are not just from India but also from ten foreign countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Srilanka, Myanmar, Tibet, China, Bhutan and Nepal. Such is his craze for rare idols that he is planning to visit various countries in pursuit of unique Ganesh idols.