Vijay Khatu mumbai’s well-known idol maker passed away at his residence suffering a cardiac arrest early morning on Wednesday. Reports suggest that he died of a heart attack. Vijay Khatu had been making Ganesh Idols for numerous famous Mandal groups across Mumbai for almost 50 years. The talented idol maker made a number of famous idols across the city including the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Murti, Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani Ganesh Murti, Ganeshgalli Ganapati, Chandwadi Ganpati. He used to to make the sculptors at his Central Railway Ground, Parel, a workshop where he worked with his brother Rajan Khatu and other sculptors. He used to make 300 Ganapati Idol every year.
Rajan Khatu informed that he was not well since few months, he died around 10 AM on Wednesday morning. One of his associate and president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, Naresh Dahibaonkar said that he was renowned for his finicality in his work and he was good human being.
One of his associate Pranil Panchal from Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani Ganapati reminds him as a very professional sculptor among all of them, he said that Khatu never used to disclose the theme of the Ganapati before it’s properly completed, and he has the very big contribution in the fame of Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani Ganapati, Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani Ganapati idols was close to his heart and his death is a great loss to the entire fraternity.
Newly-appointed chairperson of Siddhivinayak Ganesh Mandir Trust, Marathi actor, TV host, and a Shiv Sena leader, Adesh Bandekar remembered visiting his workshop in his childhood and experience the scale of his work. It’s a big loss to lose an artist like him.
