Not Clay, but Pani Puri: Pune’s 13‑Foot Ganpati Sculpted from 21,000 Shells

When you think of a Ganpati idol, you picture clay or plaster, right? This year Pune decided to flip that expectation on its head. Outside the popular Ganesh Bhel stall on Fergusson College Road, a colossal 13‑foot figure of Lord Ganesha stands proudly—its skin not of earth, but of crunchy, golden‑brown pani‑puri shells.

The brainchild behind this edible‑looking marvel is local artist Prashant Salunkhe. He gathered a modest crew—about eight to ten artisans—and set to work for roughly fifteen days. Their mission? To collect, sort and carefully affix more than twenty‑one thousand tiny snack shells into a coherent, towering form. It sounds almost whimsical, but the effort was anything but.

Each shell, fragile as a beetle’s wing, had to be handled with kid‑glove precision. “The biggest headache wasn’t the design itself,” Salunkhe laughed, “it was keeping the shells from getting soggy.” Moisture, he explained, could turn the whole structure into a mushy mess, so the team constantly battled humidity with gentle drying techniques and protective sprays.

Behind the crunchy façade lies a surprisingly simple skeleton. The artists used paper and bamboo—materials that are light, strong and, frankly, environmentally kinder than traditional metal frames. This backbone gives the idol its stability while staying true to a growing eco‑conscious vibe in festival décor.

Word of the pani‑puri Ganpati spread like wildfire on social media, drawing devotees, tourists and selfie‑hunters alike. Children point excitedly at the familiar snack turned sacred, while elders marvel at the ingenuity. It’s become a kind of modern‑mythic symbol, showing how tradition can be re‑imagined without losing its heart.

And Pune isn’t the only city experimenting. Over in Mumbai, tech firm NH Studioz is streaming Ganesh otsav pandals and aartis to screens worldwide, proving that the festival’s spirit is finding new stages—both physical and digital.

Whether you’re there for the devotion, the artistry, or just a craving for pani‑puri, the 13‑foot Ganpati offers a tasty reminder: festivals, like food, thrive on creativity and community.