Pune, 11 August 2025: In Vishrantwadi, Pune, the story of Hemant Sangwekar is one of resilience in the face of loss. In 2003, during his second year of civil engineering studies, a serious accident at a construction site cost him his leg. Six months in treatment left his education incomplete and his dream of becoming an engineer shattered.
For a time, Sangwekar drove a rickshaw to earn a living. But his passion lay in the art he had learned years earlier from his uncle, sculpting clay idols. In 2005, with little more than determination, he began making Ganesh idols for the festive season. His early work involved setting up at a single spot, crafting the idols, and transporting them by trolley to nearby locations
Gradually, his craft gained recognition, and the business grew. Now, his workshop produces Ganesh idols as well as clay items for Diwali, Sankranti, and Dahi Handi. He handles most of the work himself, hiring one artisan for larger pieces. His mother and his wife, who is also differently-abled, are his constant support.
Sangwekar personally drives a tempo to deliver the finished products to markets, proudly displaying the words “Disability is in the mind, not the body” on the back. He credits his mother for giving him “a second life” after she managed to raise lakhs of rupees for his surgeries and cared for him during his long recovery.
“If I had let my disability define me, nothing would have been possible. You have to overcome it and become self-reliant,” he says, turning a personal tragedy into a story of strength and artistry in the heart of Pune.
