Girgaon’s Keshavji Naik Chawl to use Warli art for Ganeshotsav

Warli figures made with lines, triangles and squares will shape this year’s Ganeshotsav at Keshavji Naik Chawl in Girgaon, beginning on September 14.

The Shree Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Sanstha, which runs the 1893 mandal, chose the theme after consulting an artist from Sir J J School of Art, Architecture and Design, secretary Kumar Walekar said. The art form is traditionally practised by women of the Warli community in Palghar, using rice paste, gum and water on mud walls to depict daily life and nature.

The programme will also include talks on artificial intelligence by chawl residents who work in the field, linking the subject to Ganesh as a symbol of wisdom. The mandal also plans a session on *The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People* and intends to launch a festival website.

Keshavji Naik Chawl was built between 1860 and 1862 as four two-storey buildings for the workers of shipowner Keshavji Naik. A fifth building was added in 1925, and around 150 families now live in the chawl.