10,000 Students Set Guinness Record With Eco-Friendly Ganesh Idols

 Mumbai: Maharashtra has entered the Guinness World Records after more than 10,000 students simultaneously created eco-friendly Ganesh idols using shadu clay at a mega workshop held at the CIDCO Exhibition and Convention Centre in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The workshop was organised by the Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Department, led by Secretary Jayashree Bhoj, to promote an environment-friendly and pollution-free Ganesh festival.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik and Environment Minister Pankaja Munde participated in the workshop and made Ganesh idols using shadu clay. The event was attended by students, art experts, professors and thousands of Ganesh devotees.

Mr. Fadnavis made an idol depicting Lord Ganesh wearing a traditional pheta, with a tilak on his forehead and a modak in his hands.

Addressing the students, Mr. Fadnavis said Lord Ganesha was the deity of wisdom and that the environment occupied a special place in Indian culture. He said protecting the five elements of nature, or Panchamahabhutas, was essential for human life.

“Devotion and environmental conservation should be given greater importance than the grandeur of Ganesh idols. It is the responsibility of every individual to celebrate festivals that preserve our cultural heritage, such as Ganeshotsav, in an eco-friendly manner,” he said.

Appealing to citizens to avoid practices that damage water bodies, including the use of large idols, plaster of Paris and artificial colours, the Chief Minister said the size of an idol did not determine the strength of one's devotion.

“God’s blessings are not determined by the size of the idol, but by how selflessly we serve the environment and society,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

In a post on X, Mr. Fadnavis described the initiative as a matter of pride and said seeing thousands of students come together to create their own idols was “truly special”. He said their creativity and devotion had conveyed a strong message of environmental conservation and welcomed the recognition by Guinness World Records.

When the Guinness World Records adjudicators announced the result, Mr. Fadnavis said the participating students were the “true champions” behind the achievement and praised them for their efforts.

Congratulating the students, Ms. Munde said those who made Ganesh idols from shadu clay had proved themselves to be “Vasundhara Rakshak” (Guardians of the Earth). “The primary objective of the workshop is to take the message of protecting the environment while preserving cultural traditions to every household,” she said.