An eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi is the perfect way to celebrate the city’s favourite god. With the festival just weeks away, here’s our guide to bring home environmentally viable idols
Representation pic
Bappa’s gift for the sea
The Sprouts team at work
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After years of conducting beach clean-ups and picking up remnants of PoP Ganpati idols at various sites across the city, the team at NGO Sprouts Environment Trust decided to address the problem in another way: by making environmentally-viable idols. Eventually, they devised a campaign titled #GodSaveTheOcean. As opposed to PoP idols with toxic colours that pollute the sea and harm marine creatures, SPROUTS fashioned shaadu idols painted with organic colours, and filled them with vegetarian fish food to make them ocean-friendly. “The driving thought was that, ‘Only God can save the ocean now!’” says CEO Anand Pendharkar, adding that the idols (ranging from nine to 12 inches) are all sculpted and painted by college students.
Call: 9820140254
Log on to: @sproutsenvironmenttrust on Instagram
Cost: Rs 1,650 onwards
Seeds of change
A view of how the Tree Ganesha idol transforms into plants
Advertising professional Dattadri Kothur alias Datta has been crafting Ganpati idols for the past 15 years. However, it bothered the artist that despite lakhs of Mumbaikars celebrating the Elephant God, few were able to give back to nature. He started experimenting with crafting idols out of red soil.
“I thought that if we put a seed inside Bappa, a plant can grow in the spot where the idol was. Thus, I made my own seed Ganesha in 2015,” he shares. In its seventh year, his initiative Tree Ganesha now offers idols ranging from nine to 18 inches, made with red soil, organic fertiliser, natural colours, and seeds such as tulsi and marigold.
At: Municipal Industrial Estate, Gala no. 45, Worli
Call: 8879672071
Log on to: treeganesha.com
Cost: Rs 2,200 onwards
On a paper trail
Sawantwadi-based visual artist Yogesh Desai has developed a 3D Ganesha paper model, available in two designs, which can be assembled at home following his detailed instruction guide. The paper parts are delivered pre-cut, pre-creased and numbered, elaborates Desai. “It’s not much stress putting together the idol. I wanted people to experience the joy of making their own Ganpati from scratch,” Desai shares about the kid-friendly idols that also make for interesting conversation pieces for one’s house.
Call: 9158736967
Log on to: yogeshdesai.in or @yoglodesai on Instagram
Cost: Rs 350
It’s clay time
Guddee is an online hub of customised handmade products for gifting, home décor, festivals and more, which is offering eco-friendly red soil Ganesha idols handcrafted and hand-painted by local artisans. “After the visarjan, the same soil can be used to grow plants as it’s good for gardening.
Guddee’s idols are made of red soil and come with a tulsi seed ball
We also give people tulsi seed balls along with the idol, which can be planted in the soil,” explains founder Haritha Singh, adding that the red soil melts in three to four hours after immersion. “When people think about buying eco-friendly Ganpati, the biggest roadblock is that it will end up costing too much. Keeping this in mind, we have kept our Ganpati idols of a smaller size [seven inches] and at an affordable range,” she adds.
Call: 8928075806
Log on to: guddee.in
Cost: Rs 850 onwards
Also check out
>> DIY Ganesha kit by Meetakriti Art Studio
Call: 9820846149
>> Range of eco-friendly options at My Pooja Box
Log on to: mypoojabox.in
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