22 August,2020 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Picture/Aditi Mittal-Twitter
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations began across India on Saturday. The festival, otherwise celebrated with much pomp and grandeur, is being observed in a low-key manner this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every year, environmentalists advise the public to opt for eco-friendly idols and this year there has been an increase in the sale of eco-friendly idols.
Pictures of eco-friendly Ganesha idols made from the most unusual of materials - both edible and non-edible - have made its way to the social media platforms.
Dry fruits
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A doctor from Surat made a Ganpati idol out of dry fruits that would be installed in a COVID-19 hospital. Sharing pictures of her creation on Twitter, Dr Aditi Mittal said, "Made Eco-friendly Ganesha with 511 dry fruits will be kept at covid hospital 'Atal Samvedna' of surat for 10 days and will later be distributed as 'prasad' in the form of 'VIGHNAHARTA' blessings for happy and healthy life. These dry fruits will also add up the immunity."
The dry fruits from this idol would be distributed among patients after the puja. "I made this idol with dry fruits that have shell & it will be kept at a COVID hospital. After puja the dry fruits will be distributed among patients at the hospital," Mittal said.
Chocolate
An idol from chocolate sculpted by a woman in Indore on the theme of Coronavirus garnered the country's attention a few days ago. The artist, Nidhi Sharma, also paid tribute to the healthcare staff and police personnel for their efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
Made on the theme of COVID-19, the idol is placed with a trident that is seen crushing the virus. Sharma also placed a board on the model that reads, "Corona Go".
"I have made Ganesha idols using chocolate. We believe that we will get rid of coronavirus with the blessings of Lord Ganesha. Based on this theme, we have placed idols of police and doctor. We have also made a ball using chocolate symbolizing coronavirus. We have showcased Lord Ganesha killing the ball using trident," Sharma said.
She added that the idol will be immersed in milk which will be distributed among the needy people. "I have made such models for my friends and relatives as well. I am making such Lord Ganesha idols since last year. We immerse these Ganpati idols made of chocolate in milk and distribute it among the needy people," she said.
Meanwhile, restaurateur Hajinder Singh Kukreja shared pictures of an idol his team of chefs sculpted out of chocolate. He said the idea behind making an idol out of chocolate was to inspire people to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly way. "My team of 10 chefs used 40kg of chocolate to sculpt the idol that took 10 days to be made," Singh said.
Seeds embedded idols
An artist in Telangana made idols with seeds embedded in them. The artist, Sunita, said that devotees have to dissolve the idols, known as 'Beej Bappa' in a pot, after which the seeds grow into plants. "Devotees can dissolve the idols after performing puja, in the pots following which the seeds may grow into plants," she said.
Cow dung
A Vadodara-based organisation was in the news for making 'Vedic Ganesha' idols out of cow dung. Mukesh Gupta, the director of Kamdhenu Gau Amrita, said the eco-friendly Ganesha idols when dissolved in water can be used as fertilisers. He also said that the idols are cheaper than those made of plaster of paris (POP) which is known to pollute water.
"The biggest advantage is that these idols can be dissolved in water at the time of visarjan (immersion) so one need not go to a river, they can immerse the idols in water tubs also, and they can be used as fertilisers. The second advantage is that this idol is cheaper than the idols made of plaster of Paris (POP) or clay," he said.
(With inputs from agency)
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