Pankaj Bhadouria, the winner of MasterChef India Season 1, has a special connection with Ganpati, a spiritual bond that formed during the finale of her cooking show, and solidified over the years.
Every year, as the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi approaches, the celebrated chef makes a unique Ganpati idol, which is different from the previous year.
“I don’t plan, I don’t design — I just close my eyes, imagine Him before me, and somehow the clay takes His shape. Every year, His Swaroop is different, as if He decides how He wishes to come home,” wrote Bhadouria on Facebook.
Over a decade, Bhadouria has imagined the deity in different forms. In a freewheeling chat with FinancialExpress.com, the popular chef revealed how she has imagined Ganpati this time, her celebrations over the years, and her thoughts on the eco-friendly idols including those made with chocolate and dry fruits.
‘The shape comes on its own’
“It may sound strange, but the truth is that I don’t sit with anything in mind about what I will make and how I will make the idol. I follow my heart and the shape comes on its own. From his jewellery to clothes, his posture to his vahana, I decide it all following my instinct,” says Bhadouria.
Eco-friendly celebrations
Concerned about the rising water pollution around this time, Bhadouria supports the eco-friendly approach to the festival. She herself makes Ganpati with potter’s clay which easily dissolves in water and unlike Plaster of Paris (POP) idols that are usually painted with heavy metals, and pollute rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.
“I do visarjan in a huge tub and water my plants with that water. Since my idol is made with ‘mitti’ and the residue goes back to the ‘mitti’, no harm to the environment is done,” she adds.
‘Ganpati, my brother’
Bhadouria reveals that her Ganpati would come on a peacock this time, as she looks forward to the festivities at home.
‘I’m not too much into rituals, but I connect with Ganesha on a spiritual level. I treat Ganpati as my brother and I even tie rakhi to him,” says the MasterChef.
What sparked the spiritual connection
Hailing from Lucknow, Bhadouria started connecting with Lord Ganesha after she visited Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai just before the grand finale of MasterChef Season 1, praying for her success. She promised to the lord to come there every time she’s in Mumbai, irrespective of the length of her trip.
“While it started as a sense of gratitude, once I settled in Mumbai, and witnessed the spectacular celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi there, I decided to make the Ganpati idol myself. So next year, I was there in Mumbai before the festival began with my own Ganpati idol. Since then, it has become a ritual every year,” she tells us.
‘Edible Ganesha trend is fine, but chocolate Ganpati could be problematic’
“The good part about chocolate Ganpati is that it can be consumed as charnamrit once the festival concludes. But in my view, chocolate is tamsik and this is the reason why I have never attempted a chocolate Ganpati,” she said.
Bhadouria, however, says she is in favour of Ganpati idols made with fruits, dry fruits and vegetables. “It is best for people who do the visarjan in 1.5, 3, and 5 days, but not for those who bid adieu to Ganesha on eleventh days, considering by then the veggies and fruits may turn stale.