Pearls Of Devotion

For 57 years, this Ganesha devotee has been making an unusual offering to the Elephant God: a sago rangoli that has also won him a Guinness record, finds Sahil Jaswal

- Sahil Jaswal

Every year, a month before Mumbai brings her favourite idol home, Mohankumar Dodecha keeps his own date with a tradition. He spends 12 hours a day, every day, arranging pearl after pearl of sago or sabudana on the floor in a rangoli that eventually becomes a brilliant image of the Elephant God.

The Mumbai-based artist has, without exception, been creating and publicly displaying sago rangolis of Lord Ganesha for the past 57 years, a feat that earned him a mention in Guinness World Records for the longest duration over which an annual rangoli is displayed. This record, set in 2010, was with an 8 ft × 7 ft rangoli of Siddhivinayak Ganapati.this ‘n’ that

This year, for 10 days during Bhadrapad Ekadashi, from 1-10 September, thousands of visitors, including well-wishers and art lovers, flocked for darshan at the Prassan Mudra Ganesha at that the artist had created from over 40 kg of sago in 290 colours and shades. For the past three years, Dodecha has been creating his sago rangoli of Ganesha at a friends’ home as his own is under redevelopment.