Police on high alert to keep communal tension from flaring up
Ganesha relaxes by watching a movie on his laptop at the Ganesh Darshan exhibition in Coimbatore on Thursday. (Photo: DC/File)
Coimbatore:District collector Archana Patnaik has appealed to people of Coimbatore to immerse only eco-friendly Vinayaka idols for Ganesha Chathurthi festival on August 29. The collector has strictly warned against immersing idols made of plaster of Paris and painted with chemicals in the lakes, ponds and tanks of Coimbatore.
Ahead of Vinayaka Chathurthi festival, the district collector held a meeting with officials from the Pollution Control Board to ensure that water bodies in Coimbatore district are not polluted during the festival. Hundreds of massive Vinayaka idols will be taken out in long processions through the city and its suburbs days after Vinayaka Chathurthi.
The collector appealed to the public to adhere to the guidelines of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and use only clay idols instead of baked clay. As clay idols easily dissolve in water, the Pollution Control Board has asked the public to use only clay idols.
The collector has also appealed to people to use coloured tuber flour or sago waste instead of using chemical colours that could be toxic resulting in water contamination. The public have also been asked to use only those immersion points that have been permitted by the police.
As the festival also triggers communal tension especially in Mettupalayam and other sensitive areas in Coimbatore, the collector also held a meeting with district SP M.Sudhakar to ensure security arrangements for the festival. The police have also been instructed to ensure that only eco-friendly idols are immersed in water bodies.
Now, Ganesha turns techie:
In an IT world, gods too turn gizmos. For this Vinayaka Chathurthi festival, Ganesha has turned into a techie. His pudgy hands are not stuffed with just kozhukattai anymore. He now smartly lugs a laptop and showers e-blessings. At Ganesha doll show at Poompuhar, the techie Ganesha is clearly the show stealer.
Hundreds of Ganesha dolls have been lined up at the exhibition. But Vinayaka with the laptop is a hot favourite among customers. From Rs 42 to Rs 75,000, Ganesha dolls come in all colours, sizes, materials and price tag.
Manager of Poompuhar K. Arun said idols that have been brought from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Moradabad. There are dolls of Ganeshas at a musical concert instruments like sitar, harmonium, veena and mridangam . The most expensive is the panchaloha Vinayagar which is priced at Rs 75,000.
The expo will be on till September 9. The grand collection of idols is made out of clay, brass, bronze, sandalwood, black and white metals. Tanjore paintings, Tanjore art plates, rose wood inlay work, idols made of marble dust, paper mache and clay.
"We hope to achieve a sale of Rs 10 lakh. A discount of 10 per cent is being given on all Ganesh idols," the official said.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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