This Artist Holds Over 10 Records for Making Handmade Sago Ganpati Rangoli for 64 Years!

In Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great fervour. If you step out in the city of Mumbai specifically, you will find almost every street and corner with a Ganesh idol having some or other unique aspect. Where one pandal in Malad has made Ganpati with stones, the other part of the town has an idol made with chess pieces. Well, if you are surprised by this, there is a house in Mulund that has been making Ganesh rangoli with Sabudana (Sago), for 64 years now. 

Mohankumar Dodecha, who is 81 years old now, started this ritual in 1961 when he was merely 17 years old, inspired by the legendary artist S.M Pandit’s work. When Mohankumar first made this rangoli, he used various grains like rice, wheat, jeera (cumin seeds) and Sabudana (sago). “What stood out from the rest was Sabudana as it took any colour that was painted on it,” said Dhyan, Mohankumar’s grandson. “From then on, my grandfather started making the rangoli only with Sabudana,” he adds.   

This process starts 35 days before the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi and takes almost 12 hours a day of devotion. Mohankumar along with 4 to 5 artists and his family members takes up this job from scratch. Almost 35 kgs of sago is used to make this artwork. “Every grain of Sabudana is coloured with hand and pasted on the floor. “This artwork includes over 300 shades of colours and every year we try to depict a story through it,” says the third generation of Mohankumar. 

Mohankumar holds more than 10 international and national records for this work. He has the world record for the “Longest time to make sago ganesh rangoli consecutively every year” to his name. Along with this, he has his name in the Limca Book of Records, Asia Book of Records, Golden Book Of World Records, International Book of Records, Unique World Records, Mulund Ratna and more. 

“To witness this piece, around 9000 people visit us every year. Late S.M. Pandit, by whom this work is inspired also visited our house for 12 years,” says Dhyan. Various other prominent personalities like Padma Shri Dr. Prakash Kothari, Kirit Somaiya and Late Pandurang Shastri Athavale have also graced their presence. With the increasing popularity of his work, this 81-year-old man is inspired to continue this even further with the same enthusiasm and keep the spirit of art alive.