Future Teachers Turn Clay Into Creativity at Pragati College’s Ganesha Idol Workshop

Resource person Harisingh Parikar (L) guides students as they make Lord Ganesha idols during a hands-on workshop organised by the Department of Education at Pragati College, Raipur, on Thursday, August 27, 2026, while Head of the Department Dr K. N. Gajpal (R) observes the activity- Photo Credit: primelookindia.com via Pragati College

Education Department combines festive tradition with hands-on learning as students are trained in the art of making Lord Ganesha idols ahead of Ganesh festival

Key Highlights

• Education Department organises hands-on Ganesha idol-making workshop at Pragati College, Raipur
• Harisingh Parkar guides students as the main resource person
• Principal Dr Soumya Nayyar encourages students to combine creativity with learning
• Education HoD Dr K. N. Gajpal stresses practical and creative exposure for future teachers
• Students enthusiastically learn an art they can later introduce in their own classrooms

Raipur: With the Ganesh festival approaching, classrooms at Pragati College, Raipur, took on a creative character as students shaped clay with their own hands and learnt the art of making idols of Lord Ganesha.

The workshop, organised by the college’s Department of Education, was designed not merely as a festival-related activity but as an opportunity for future teachers to experience how art, culture and practical learning can become part of education.

Harisingh Parikar, the main resource person for the workshop, demonstrated the different stages of idol-making and personally guided students as they worked with clay. From giving the clay its basic form to shaping finer features, students received practical instruction while creating their own Ganesha idols.

Principal Dr Soumya Nayyar, resource person Harisingh Parikar and Administrator Jyoti Thakur interact with students during the Lord Ganesha idol-making workshop organised by the Department of Education at Pragati College, Raipur, on Thursday, August 27, 2026-Photo Credit:primelookindia.com via Pragati College .

College Principal Dr Soumya Nayyar, Administrator[ Jyoti Thakur Head of the Department of Education Dr K. N. Gajpal, and faculty members visited the workshop and encouraged the participating students.

Learning an Art They Can Carry Into Their Future Classrooms

The activity assumed particular significance because the participants are training to become teachers. The workshop gave them an opportunity to understand how creative activities can make learning more engaging while also connecting students with Indian festivals, art and cultural traditions.

Resource person Harisingh Parikar guides a student as she shapes a clay idol of Lord Ganesha during the hands-on workshop organised by the Department of Education at Pragati College, Raipur, on Thursday, August 27, 2026-Photo Credit:primelookindia.com via Pragati College

Dr Gajpal encouraged students to look beyond conventional classroom instruction and develop skills that could help them make their own teaching more participatory and creative in the future.

The students responded enthusiastically to the initiative, many of them experiencing the process of sculpting a Ganesha idol for the first time. They said the workshop gave them a new skill as well as the confidence to conduct similar creative activities with their own pupils when they enter the teaching profession.

Students expressed their appreciation to HoD Dr K. N. Gajpal and the Education Department for conceptualising and organising the workshop, saying such practical activities add an important dimension to teacher training.

As clay gradually took the familiar form of Lord Ganesha under their hands, the exercise became more than a festival activity. For these future teachers, it was also a lesson in creativity, patience, cultural connection and learning by doing.