BENGALURU: That plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols are harmful to the environment is not new news. For a few years now, ecologically conscious individuals have been thinking of alternatives for this, and that has resulted in Ganeshas being made with wool, coconut fibre and many other natural materials. Lately, after the popularity of seedballs for afforestation purposes, seedball Ganeshas can be seen doing the rounds. One such green buff, is Ganeshram, who is selling seedball Ganeshas to Bengalureans.
The Bengaluru-based naturalist spends most of his time travelling for projects related to water conservation, sustainable food production and conservation of indigenous flora. “This is an idea that has been in the air all the while, but with very few people acting on it. I am being helped by my brother and a few friends, and this is my second year at it,” he says, adding that the city has really taken to this idea, as the response to his Ganeshas has been “overwhelming”. “I have been swamped with queries for the past few days, and I’m glad to see that youngsters and older people alike are opting for these idols. Most are curious to know how it works, and what seeds these idols have,” says Ganeshram.
They sell Ganeshas of different sizes, ranging from 4” to 12”. The 4” idol costs `80, and that, he says, is the one that has been selling the most. The Ganeshas prepared this year by him have a mix of different vegetable seeds such as tomato, brinjal, chilli, ladies finger, mustard and greens such a fenugreek. “We have been instructing people to not dump the idols into lakes or ponds, but to submerge them in water vessels at home and pour the mixture into a pot or onto soil. Alternatively, to place the idol in a pot containing soil, in an area receiving a good amount of sunlight and water it everyday,” he says. He works along with a potter family near Frazer Town that makes these idols. This system has been working economically for them too, he says.
Telling us a bit about the harmful effects of PoP on the environment, he says, “PoP does not dissolve in water. Another issue is with various dyeing agents/ paints used on Ganesha idols these days. Many of them are heavy metal-based, and are toxic not just to smaller lifeforms, but also to the humans coming in contact with them.” He adds that the food webs and interconnections between various organisms are so intricate in nature that more often than not, we really don’t know how it affects the environment. “All our anthropocentric inventions solve human needs/wants in the short term, and are generally not oriented towards sustainability or ecology,” he says. You can place seed Ganesha orders with Ganeshram on 8197183932.