Rithvik Dhanjani: The chaos we see every year on the last day of Ganeshotsav is heart wrenching

It’s the 20th year of Rithvik Dhanjani inviting Ganpati bappa to his house, and fifth year of making his idol himself at home. The actor says he decided to do this because of what happens every year during visarjan, the last day of the 10-day festival.

“The idea behind this is the chaos we see on the last day, it is heart wrenching and breaking. It is not a sight that anybody who truly believes in Bappa, wants to see. I realised the amount of pollution we are actually causing, just by being negligent about our festivals,” says the 32-year-old.

Eco friendly ways of celebrations, therefore our what he recommends. “We don’t realise but in the long run we are actually eating into our own eco system, and that’s not right. It doesn’t go down well with me. This entire thing started with the thought that if I can make it, anybody can make it. I posted that video on Instagram too so whoever wants to make Bappa can make it like me. If people choose to do it, in a span of some years, we will be able to probably bring about a change,” says Dhanjani, who recently was seen in the web show Cartel and lending his voice to Buri Nazar.

He was taught how to go about the idol preparation by his friend, Raqesh Bapat. He says, “He was my teacher, he has been sculpting these idols. Ever since that first year, after that I have been continuously carrying this forward. It takes me three days to make the idol, a few hours everyday, with normal laal mitti jisse matke bante hain. We can mould it to make anything.”

Dhanjani, even after all these years, remembers the first time he came to Mumbai and witnessed the grand celebrations which take place in honour of Ganesha there. “It was madness! Main naya naya aaya tha 2010 mein, and brought a small idol to my house. I have always prayed to Bappa. I did get to see a couple of pandals, and saw the magnanimous opus, and the madness there is around the festival. It was really overwhelming,” he says.