Lord Ganesha idols get a taste of inflation

Sunday, August 24, 2008
Lord Ganesha idols get a taste of inflation
Idol-makers to place heftier price tags on the statues
Devanshi Joshi. Vadodara/DNA
The compelling increase in raw material, labour and transport costs stemming from a bulging inflation rate is forcing idol-makers in the city to raise prices of Ganpati idols by 20-25% compared to last year. This year, Vadodara targets to make more than 20,000 Ganpati idols between five and 25 feet each, besides thousands of smaller ones, and the artists are bound to pass on their cost burden to buyers by increasing the idols rates.Prices of ingredients like POP (Plaster of Paris), colours, iron scrap, plastic, jute and other raw material have been affected by around 50%. The price of 23 kg of POP has increased by 44% to Rs65 compared to last years Rs45. The price of colours used in painting the idol has been increased to Rs160 per litre from Rs110 per litre. Prices of Katho, one of the basic materials for idol making, and iron scrap has gone up by 20% and 60% respectively as compared to last year. Prices of labour and raw wood have also increased by 50% as compared to last year.Bharat Ajmeri, an idol maker and artist at Navabazar in Vadodara whose forefathers were also in the same business, finds the current year the most expensive period for idol-making due to inflation. Ajmeri says, “Inflation has badly affected the business this year. Price of raw material has almost doubled as compared to last year. This year we will send the idols at 25% higher prices, to cushion the impact of the cost. However, we would have to haggle for our profit margins as the buyers are bound to bargain.”Sunil Swami, an idol maker at Dandiabazar, says, “The bookings for Ganpati idols generally start three months before Ganesh Chaturthi. This year, we are making around 50 large-sized idols and a number of small ones. Price rise in labour and raw material has increased the cost of the idols. We have increased the price of big Ganpati idols from Rs1,500 to Rs2,000 to deal with expenses.”To avoid unnecessary investment, the idol makers in Vadodara are not stockpiling Ganpati idols this year. Businessman Hemal Bhatt has booked a 16-feet idol for Ganpati pandaal this year. He says, “Every year we bring Ganpati in our pol but this year, the price of Ganpati idols is 10% to 15% more than last year. The option we have is to collect more funds