Mumbai man creates Metro-themed display for Ganpati festival

The Ganpati festival is a time for Mumbaikars to get creative with decorations, and many come up with innovative ideas and execute them even in small apartments.

The 10-day festival, which began on September 19, has seen several mandals showcasing themes ranging from Chandrayaan-3 to Ayodhya Ram temple, but even household Ganeshas are not far behind.

One such unique display has been created by 26-year-old Rahul Varia at his house in the eastern suburb of Ghatkopar here.

As an ode to the city's public transport system, Varia's 'Bappa' is seated comfortably in a miniature metro rail coach.

'The model is made using newspaper, sunboard and paper straws, and both the idol and display are eco-friendly,' says the applied arts graduate who works in an advertising agency.

Varia has been creating decorations for the festival since 2012. He built a display based on the local trains of Mumbai in 2021 and a miniature of a BEST double-decker bus last year.

Varia has roped in three of his friends to work on the displays and has also taken orders to prepare decorations. He has built miniatures of the city's famous Dagdi Chawl and Thane's Ayyappa temple.

'We start working on the displays around a month before the festival. The conceptualisation takes a lot of time, as we study everything in detail. A Mumbai metro coach has 16 handles and we have made exactly that in the miniature. We observed every detail such as the indicator, windows, and signs above the window and noted these down to execute them to perfection,” Varia said.

People have been visiting the Varia home to admire the display, says Gokul Varia, Rahul's father.

The basic thought behind making the Metro-themed display was to create something that people could relate to, says Varia.

'We all use some form of public transport in the city. The idea was to connect Mumbai’s lifeline or its public transport to Ganesh Chaturthi. So, 'Bappa' is riding the metro this year,” he says.