Toxic paints and flowers are also used in decorating the statues. And when 'visarjan' takes place, the idols, along with these toxic materials, get seeped into water that live on for decades in water bodies, leaving an indelible impact on the ecosystem
Dia Mirza and Rithvik Dhanjani. Pics/Yogen Shah
Many times, in the joy of festivity, we tend to forget about the harm we do to the planet Earth. Ganesh Chaturthi, which marks the birth of the Lord Ganesha, is no exception. The Ganesha idols are generally made up of clay, Plaster of Paris (POP), plastic and cement. Toxic paints and flowers are also used in decorating the statues. And when 'visarjan' takes place, the idols along with these toxic materials get seeped into water that live on for decades in water bodies, leaving an indelible impact on the ecosystem.
As 10-day festivities of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in India have already commenced and if you are thinking to change your way of celebrating the festival, then right away take a cue from Bollywood celebrities who have time and again stressed the importance of not harming the environment during the festive celebration, especially Ganpati Visarjan.
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Dia Mirza
Dia Mirza, who is a true advocate of nature, often talked about celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly way. In 2019, she brought home an eco-friendly idol and shared the importance of minimalism and sustainability.
"Ganpati Bappa Morya! Traditionally we made clay idols and then immersed them in water to denote the Birth Cycle of Lord Ganesha/Ganpati who was created from Clay/Earth. Visarjan in its own way talks about nature's life cycle and while it should be one of the most Eco friendly events in India, it has become something else all together. Clay Handmade Idols have been replaced with Plaster of Paris and Plastic. Natural brown colour of clay is replaced by toxic paints to make idols shiny and sparkly. Size plays a big role on asserting importance or power of the celebration. Mine is bigger than yours syndrome! And then there are those awful unnatural plastic/thermocol decorations! All this is immersed in our seas/rivers/ponds/lakes without caring about the consequences. The consequences are dangerous, a complete contamination of our waters, soil and food chain. Surely Ganpati Bappa would never want to be responsible for harming that what he was born from?
This Ganpati Visarjan, take this as an opportunity to understand the meaning of a birth cycle, go minimal, natural and sustainable," she had posted on Instagram.
Sanjay Dutt
Instead of immersing Ganpati idols in water bodies, one can also opt for Ganpati Visarjan at home using minimal water to give Bappa a nice send-off. Have a look at this picture in which actor Sanjay Dutt is seen giving a cute send-off to Ganpati by immersing the idol in a water container. The particular picture was captured in 2018.
Vishal Dadlani
This post of singer-composer Vishal Dadlani will definitely give you a bitter reality check about the aftermath of Ganpati celebrations. He shared pictures in which multiple large Ganesh idols and other puja paraphernalia can be seen discarded at the beach after Ganpati visarjan.
"India, don't immerse Ganpati in the ocean or natural water bodies. Can't bear to see half-dissolved idols all over again. Treat Ganesha & Nature with the respect they deserve. Use natural, soluble idols & immerse at home/in tanks built for this. Pl. don't let this happen again," he had urged.
Hrithik Roshan
Making alternative tanks for immersion or similar arrangements at the individual household level is one of the best eco-friendly ways to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. When COVID-19 was at its peak, many people including stars like Hrithik Roshan opted for Ganpati visarjan at home as it was not safe to go out. Thankfully, normality has now returned, but, for the safety of the environment, it's better to opt for Ganpati visarjan at home than to immerse the idols in water bodies.
Rithvik Dhanjani
Rithvik Dhanjani is completely against the use of Ganpati idols made of Plaster of Paris. Every year, he makes handmade Ganpati idols at his home using mud.
Don't forget to take care of the environment while enjoying the festival. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
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