Pune:
 |
| Here I come: Thousands of eco-friendly Ganesha idols are set to make way into the hearts and homes of the people. The idols are made of natural clay, turmeric, geroo and multani mitti. Pic/Vivek Sabnis |
As Maharashtra catches up with the spirit of celebrating festivals ahead of Ganeshotsav, city NGO's are doing their bit to promote eco-friendly idols of the god.
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.
Manisha Gutman, an idol maker from Ecoexist, who makes idols from natural and recycled products, said, "Our eco-sensitive Ganesh idols have been supplied in Pen, and natural clay has been used. The idols are painted with natural materials such as turmeric, geroo and multani mitti."
Original products "The products we use are either completely natural, or made from recycled products. This is just one aspect of Ecoexist, apart from other community activities, such as education in schools etc," she added. This year Ecoexist has made a large variety of Ganesh Idols ranging from Rs 275 to Rs 1,000.
"We have taken designs from the last years idols. Our sculptors in Pen have created six new idols, whereas three more varieties are made by master craftsman from Sirsi in Karnataka," Gutman said.
Replace thermocolTo replace thermocol used in decorations, a cloth made temple is an eco-sensitive option. The cloth temples are handmade.
Most women from the slums work to make these decorative items. The fabric used to make these temples is
cotton and silk and are stuffed with carton papers. "In addition, the kumkum and sindoor is made using turmeric, lemon juice, ghee, camphor and alum. It has been sourced from Swarnavalli matha at Sirsi and is totally non-toxic," Gutman said.
