Plant a Ganesha!

This year, there will probably be 800 less PoP pollutants in the seas and lakes of Mumbai, and at least about 5,000 people off the road during visarjan, thanks to Dattadri Kothur, fondly known as Dattu, creator of 'Tree Ganesha'. His workshop, located in the quiet bylanes of Worli, is an unusual sight, as it's strewn with red soil, plants, organic fertilisers and several potted plants. While artists mull over giving Ganesha idols a finishing touch, Dattu explains how the 'Tree Ganesha' has become a passion in his life.

An environmentally conscious person, Dattu has been celebrating eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi for a decade. "I was not happy with the scenario of the eco-friendly idols in the city, even though they are made of clay. The colour and accessories used on it, are harmful to the marine life," says the 30-year-old. This prompted him to make 100 per cent eco-friendly idols.

"Look around. The city's green cover has been depleting and it's worrisome. So I thought, why not club these two things together?" he says. That's when he came up with this idea of Tree Ganesha – an idol, which after immersion in a flower pot provided by him, grows into a plant. These idols, which come in four sizes, are made from red soil, organic fertiliser, seeds, natural colours and water; and takes 10 days to create. By providing a platform for people to buy 100 per cent eco-friendly idols, he gives citizens a chance, to add a bit of green to the urban jungle.

After many experiments, research and trials and errors, in 2015, he successfully made few Tree Ganesha idols, and since then, there's no looking back. "I needed to understand the consistency required for the clay, to figure out how to make it look prettier as I didn't want to use artificial colours or harmful accessories; and to also figure out what kind of seeds would be feasible in the idol." He even attended various gardening workshops to understand the nitty-gritty of soil and seeds. After a trial period of three months, he was confident of selling these idols to the public. "People want plants that grow quickly after immersing the idol. So, I selected basil, marigold and lady's fingers as these grow throughout the year and require low maintenance."

Dattu's idea has been much appreciated not only by Mumbaikars, but across the world. In his second year of the project, he has received around 800 orders. Apart from Mumbai, these idols have been sent to Delhi, Vadodara, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune. He has also received overseas orders. Thirteen artists work diligently under Dattu to complete the idol orders. Dattu, who is trained in commercial arts, has trained these artists in his Mumbai workshop and plans to set up a production base in Hyderabad and Bengaluru soon, for next year's orders.

Managing Tree Ganesha along with his full-time job at an advertising agency is tough, but this hasn't deterred him. "My entire agenda is to add more plants; and Tree Ganesha is helping me do that. One thing that has made me happier, is that a lot of people who have these idols, had never planted trees before. But now, with a lot of faith and in the name of 'Bappa' they are growing such plants," signs off Dattu.

CLAY SAVES THE DAY

The Tree Ganesha idols are perhaps, the most pragmatic solution to the water pollution mess that takes place, post the immersion of Ganesha idols across the country. Idols that are not eco-friendly, are usually made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) that is extremely harmful to marine life. The artificial colours, which are used in considerable amount to paint the idols, add to the water pollution and harms marine life.