Lalbaugcharaja is one of the most popular Ganesha in Mumbai during the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The idol (Murti) of Lalbaugcha Raja for Ganeshotsav is annually made by the Kambli Arts at Chinchpokli in Mumbai. Kambli Arts have now got patent for the Lalbaugcha Raja idol. Kambli Arts makes the murti annually for the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal. Apart from this they also make nearly 200 small murtis which are sold to individuals for puja at home during Vinayaka Chaturthi.
Mumbai Mirror reports
In its 77th year, the immensely popular Lalbaugcha Raja that attracts millions of devotees each year, has finally been protected by a patent. The original creators of the idol, Kambli Arts, have now been granted sole rights to make idols in the traditional mould.
Kambli Arts, situated at Chinchpokli, have been in the business of making Ganpati idols since 1920. But it was in 1935, a year after its inception, that they began making the popular idol for the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal.
Kambli said he decided to seek a copyright for the idol because it is his family who originally designed this particular idol and have been making it for three generations. “In 1935, my grandfather was approached by the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal to make the idol. Since then it is my family that has been supplying the idol to the mandal. My family toiled for years, and I followed, selling the one idol throughout my life that is now famous as Lalbaugcha Raja. We have ensured that the look and design of the idol has not changed one bit,” said Kambli.
“But, of late, some idol makers have started copying our design in total and making idols that are virtual copies of our pattern, hence I decided to seek a patent,” Kambli explained. “Why should other idol makers copy our original design and cash in on its popularity?”
Over the years, the public esteem and reputation of this particular idol grew to such an extent that people began asking idol makers elsewhere in the city to make replicas of Lalbaugcha Raja for their homes and mandals. “Now that we have been granted the copyright, ownership of the pattern is with Kambli Arts and we can be sure that nobody can copy our Ganpati idol pattern,” Kambli added.
“This was a very unique case for the Patents Office,” said Prof Ganesh Hingmire, chairman of GMGC, which works to promote Intellectual Property Rights among inventors, students, etc. “Nobody had ever come forward to seek patent for a Ganpati idol before.”