Hyderabad: Mud Ganeshas or eco-friendly Ganeshas, which will have vegetable seeds in them, are being planned. They can be immersed in colony gardens and the mud used to protect and nourish the plant.
Mr N. Chandak, vendor for mud idols of Ganesha at Abids, said, “We have got a lot of orders from housing colonies this year. Some of them want Ganesh idols in flower pots while others are attaching seeds to the Ganesha and using them. Everyone is coming with their own ideas and asking us to make idols in that fashion.”
With a growing awareness and also strong demand for eco-friendly Ganesh idols vendors in the city say that they are working on orders where advance bookings have been made.
Mr P. Gowri, a senior resident in Tarnaka, explained, “Most housing colonies as well as individual owners are opting for eco-friendly Ganesha. We are now working towards creating awareness among the pandals who can also opt for this type of idols.”
WhatsApp groups of colony members and also those which co-ordinate with GHMC officials and political leaders are urging the installing of clay Ganeshas this festival, as it saves water bodies.
Mr J. Subramanyam, a senior resident explained, “It is very important to start the campaign of awareness before people buy idols. Many of them go to the market at the last minute. Hence it is important for them to understand that Plaster of Paris, paint and other non-degradable items will only harm the ecology of the water bodies. By buying an eco-friendly Ganesha, people will be working towards protecting them.”
At the same time, for pooja flowers, people are being asked to opt for those ones which purify the water. Mr Rama Krishna another resident, said, “People must be asked to only throw flowers from the pooja material which is biodegradable into the water bodies. Half of the time, people are throwing plastics, tin boxes, boxes filled with colours and that is wrong. It is very important that government work towards a sensitisation programme even for these items before the festival begins.”
