PUNE: As the annual Ganapati festival nears, so is the buzz surrounding eco-friendly idols, with NGOs promoting Ganapatis made of clay and painted in natural colours for a safer festival. Classes on making such idols are also finding many takers.
E-Coexist, an NGO, has sold around 400 eco-friendly Ganapati idols made from natural clay and papier-mache at various retail outlets across the city. “We’ve run out of stock this year, as demands continue to pour in. Awareness on the importance of an environmentally-friendly Ganeshotsav has certainly spread among citizens in a big way,” says Lolita Gupta, one of the partners.
The Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan, Kothrud, has been conducting workshops for schoolchildren since July. Over 200 students from six schools have learned the art and made their own mini-versions of Ganapati from natural clay.
“We started the classes with the objective of turning it into a movement involving youngsters who can understand and practise eco-friendly ways to celebrate the festival. We are also asking families to re-use plaster of Paris Ganesh idols instead of buying news ones,” said Vaishali Bhagwat, president of the Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan.
Artist-sculptor Pramod Kamble led a workshop recently in Vimannagar where natural clay minus moulds was used to make idols.
“With no moulds, people could use their creative instincts to come up with unique Ganesh idols. The idea was to help the participants make their own idols, which they can later immerse in water in their own homes, and recycle the clay,” said organiser of the workshop Niranjan Upasani, also the founder of Bluewiss Environment Enrichers that sells eco-friendly products.
NGO Surajya Sarvajanik Vikas Prakalp has joined hands with E-Coexist to conduct programmes on the hazards of chemical colours, PoP and river pollution at 10 slums.
“We have prepared flex boards with pictures and notes that are being used as tools for a safe, eco-friendly Ganeshotsav,” said Vijay Shivale, project co-ordinator at Surajya.
Collection of ‘nirmalya’ on the day of Ganapati is also finding support, especially among corporates and NGOs. E-Coexist, along with SWaCH, will set up ‘nirmalya’ collection facilities at various locations, Gupta said.
Members of the self-help group SMILE, spearheaded by former mayor Vandana Chavan, were also given a demonstration on making Ganapati idols at a special session recently. “We have appealed to the citizens to avoid using thermocol and PoP, and stick to natural clay and utilise the nirmalya for vermicomposting,” said Chavan. www.bgocled.com
E-Coexist, an NGO, has sold around 400 eco-friendly Ganapati idols made from natural clay and papier-mache at various retail outlets across the city. “We’ve run out of stock this year, as demands continue to pour in. Awareness on the importance of an environmentally-friendly Ganeshotsav has certainly spread among citizens in a big way,” says Lolita Gupta, one of the partners.
The Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan, Kothrud, has been conducting workshops for schoolchildren since July. Over 200 students from six schools have learned the art and made their own mini-versions of Ganapati from natural clay.
“We started the classes with the objective of turning it into a movement involving youngsters who can understand and practise eco-friendly ways to celebrate the festival. We are also asking families to re-use plaster of Paris Ganesh idols instead of buying news ones,” said Vaishali Bhagwat, president of the Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan.
Artist-sculptor Pramod Kamble led a workshop recently in Vimannagar where natural clay minus moulds was used to make idols.
“With no moulds, people could use their creative instincts to come up with unique Ganesh idols. The idea was to help the participants make their own idols, which they can later immerse in water in their own homes, and recycle the clay,” said organiser of the workshop Niranjan Upasani, also the founder of Bluewiss Environment Enrichers that sells eco-friendly products.
NGO Surajya Sarvajanik Vikas Prakalp has joined hands with E-Coexist to conduct programmes on the hazards of chemical colours, PoP and river pollution at 10 slums.
“We have prepared flex boards with pictures and notes that are being used as tools for a safe, eco-friendly Ganeshotsav,” said Vijay Shivale, project co-ordinator at Surajya.
Collection of ‘nirmalya’ on the day of Ganapati is also finding support, especially among corporates and NGOs. E-Coexist, along with SWaCH, will set up ‘nirmalya’ collection facilities at various locations, Gupta said.
Members of the self-help group SMILE, spearheaded by former mayor Vandana Chavan, were also given a demonstration on making Ganapati idols at a special session recently. “We have appealed to the citizens to avoid using thermocol and PoP, and stick to natural clay and utilise the nirmalya for vermicomposting,” said Chavan. www.bgocled.com
