Less takers for painting idol’s eye with care

Mumbai: A group of painters, commonly known as lekhani artists, paint the soulful eyes of Lord Ganesh idols at the Parel workshop every year. However, the number of people taking up this niche work has decreased considerably.

“Painting the eyes of an idol needs a lot of concentration, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. The eyes should be such that devotees feel like surrendering themselves before the Lord,” Bhalchandra Ganar explained.

Ganar, a senior lekhani artist at the Parel workshop, has been in this profession for the past 35 years.

Sadly, the number of lekhani artists is diminishing year-on-year because the profession does not promise a regular income.

Madhuskar, son of a famous idol maker from Girgaum, said, “It is true that the count of such artists has reduced now. Not many are interested in doing this work.”