List of products by brand Mahesh Murtikar

Mahesh Kumar Murtikar has been making and selling small statuettes made of mitti (mud) for over 30 years and is the third generation of his family in the business in Rakab Ganj area in Lucknow.Mahesh has dedicated his life building the craft of making clay toys. He mastered his skills in miniature bobble heads and magnet faces, and toys which every child holds in their hands and gets a pleasure in remembering when they grow up.

The process starts by blending of clay by using a clay rolling machine. Blended clay is mixed with a small amount of water to avoid the clay from drying as the clay idols are made in large quantities. The sculptor sculpts the model required using clay modeling tools and the idol is kept aside for drying.The artisan ensures there are no air gaps in the idol. If any gap is found it is filled by using a very minute amount of clay and is smoothened using water and clay sculpting tools without damaging the originality of the idol. A hole is made on the bottom of the idol for air to ventilate inside, this helps the idol to dry in less span of time. The idols are not kept under the direct sun for drying. They are let to dry gradually at room temperature.After it is dried, white primer layer is applied on the idols as a base for coloured paints. This primer is smoothened and evened with sandpaper after it is dried. This makes the application of colorful paints easy. Desired paints are applied on the idols using brush to make it attractive and captivating.

Mahesh is probably the only artist in the city who makes miniature mud figurines. COVID-19 has severely impacted his work and is making it difficult for Mahesh to sell his products.