NEW DELHI: Durga Puja organisers in Delhi are doing their bit for planet Earth this year by not only adopting environmental themes for their pandals but also using eco-friendly materials to celebrate the festival in a sustainable way.
At some of the pandals, the idols, the decoration and the cutlery used to serve ‘prasad’ are made of eco-friendly materials.
‘Save Water to Save You’ is the theme of the pandal of the Arambagh Puja Samiti on Punchkuian Road, and the Milani Durga Puja association in Mayur Vihar Phase 1 has opted for the theme ‘Save Earth’.
The Dakshinayan Durga Puja Samiti in Dwarka has chosen the theme Earth. Chaos. Peace. It is using bamboo, cloth, clay and shol, a plant-based decorative material, in its pandal, giving it an earthy, simple air.
In Chittaranjan Park, home to a large Bengali community, two puja committees have also gone green. The Mela Ground Durga Puja Samiti’s pandal has a bamboo entrance gate, and the mandap, on which the idol is kept, is decorated with non-toxic and chemical-free materials.
The puja samiti will immerse the idols in an artificial pond, as decided with the Delhi government.
The B-Block Durga Puja in C R Park has also used green materials for its pandal and idols.
The puja committee in Gurgaon’s DLF-5 is also doing its bit for the planet.
Their idol is made up of clay and the puja organisers are using wood, paper or clay instead of plastic or metal articles.