HYDERABAD: Eco-friendly idols of the Lord find many takers this year.
The stage is all set for the 10-day-long grand Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
Hundreds of idols of Lord Ganesha, in various sizes and forms, are being shifted to their respective pandals from Dhoolpet and other places like Uppal. The mood has been upbeat from Sunday itself as pandal organisers are seen shifting the idols amid the noise of drumbeats and dances to the teenmaar tunes.
Clay Ganeshas appear to have numerous takers this year. The eco-friendly Ganeshas are getting good response from general public this year with citizens celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in an environmentally friendly manner, the Pollution Control Board on Sunday distributed 1,500 clay Ganesha idols. This was done as part of the Green Ganesha initiative aimed to bring down the water pollution caused due to the use of Plaster of Paris and heavy metal based paints in making of idols.
“There was an overwhelming response from the public. We distributed over 1000-idols within an hour,” said K Purushotham Reddy, a member of Jana Vignana Vedika(JVV). People can easily dispose off these clay made idols after the pooja at their homes itself. There is no need to go to a water body.
However, there still is some skepticism regarding the clay idols as the measures taken to address the environmental impact are immediate and not done with prior planning.
“This year there is much more awareness and a lot of people are showing interest in buying the clay idols made with natural colours,” said M Vedkumar, from the Forum for Better Hyderabad.
The artisans get ready with their material six to nine months ahead of the festival. Unless we address the people who make the idols, there can be no sustainable change. They said that they have to support the manufacturers and encourage them to use only environmental-friendly raw materials, he added.