Greens call for celebrating eco-friendly Ganesh
SHWETA KAMAT
PANJIM, AUG 30
Environmentalists in Goa have appealed to the people to opt for eco-friendly methods to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi this year.
Charting out various ways that can help you have pollution-free Chovoth (Ganesh Chaturthi), the environmentalists feel that changing social ethos are increasingly casting its shadow over the celebration making it inimical to environment.
Renowned environmentalist and wildlife expert Rajendra Kerkar feels that intense modernization has dragged us away from the conventional practices for Chovoth.
Clay Idols being rapidly replaced with plaster of Paris idols is an example of how conventional methods for celebrating the festival are shrinking, Kerkar said.
“Same is with the natural colours which were earlier used to make Ganesh Idol, now the artificial non environment friendly colours are donning the scene,” he added.
“No one is concerned about environment. Everyone is busy making merry,” he rued.
Chovoth, Goa’s most favourite festival celebrating birth of elephant-headed God will be celebrated on September 11. The five day long festival will have entire Goa rapped in festivities.
Kerkar, himself living in Keri village, said that the villagers too have not lost real sense of Chovoth, which was always eco friendly.
In Keri, there are hardly two to three families which celebrate Chovoth in a traditional and eco-friendly way. “They use idol made up of clay coloured with natural dyes,” he said.
Kerkar suggested that people should go for Idols made of unbaked natural clay, natural fibre, or even recycled paper. “Ensure that the dyes used to colour the idols are organic or vegetable in origin,” he said.
“The stress on the use of earthen or clay idols embellished by vegetable dyes is a symbolic way of displaying environment-friendliness in religion,” he said.
The use of thermacol or plastic as decorations or accessories for Ganpati idol or pandal should be avoided.
“Instead, use cloth, wood, paper, and other natural materials that are safer when immersed in water, avoiding water pollution,” the environmentalist suggested.
He said even use of fire crackers should be barred to save from noise and air pollution.
Goa has already banned Plaster of Paris idols and provided subsidy to the artisans making clay Idols.
Earthworm, state’s one of the most creative green-initiative, has announced that they will be selling Ganesh Idols made from mud and natural colours brought from Maharashtra at their Porvorim premises.
“This is for the first time in Goa that we are stocking such idols. We have collaborated with Ecoexist, a Pune-based group to bring these eco-friendly Ganesh idols to the people of Goa. They are made of clay and painted with turmeric, ‘geroo’, and ‘multani mitti’,” says Nirmal Kulkarni from the Earthworm store.
Ecoexist is one such NGO that has made eco-sensitive Ganesha idols for the third successive year. The best part about these idols is that they can be immersed in a bucket of water, which can be further used to water the plants.
Nirmalya (flowers and green leavers) offered to Ganesh and left over after Puja, has also been a concern for the environment.
Panjim-based like-minded environmentalists have decided to initiate a campaign to educate people from deterring to throw nirmalya into water bodies.
Tallulha D’Silva, a environmental concern, said that they have initiated a concept of `Green Chaturthi 2010’ in which they along with the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) will be placing bins at various places for collection of nirmalya.
“Last year the concept had received a satisfactory response. We accept to make more people aware about the environment this time,” D’Silva said.
The Nirmalya pots will be placed at Miramar, Ferry point, old Patto Bridge, Mansher and at Sarvajanik mandals like Boca de Vaca, Church Square and KTC bus stand, just before a week of Ganesh Festival, which will be celebrated on September 11.
