The Ganpati festival gets greener as more people sign up for getting an eco-friendly idol. While some are conducting workshops on making the idols using environment-friendly material, others are distributing green idols for free.
"Environment is a big concern for all of us. The civic body and environmentalist have proactively taken up the cause. So as responsible citizens of our society, we should do our bit," said Manju Yagnik, vice-chairperson, Nahar Group, who is conducting workshops and teaching people to make Ganesh idols. They have taught over 200 families how to create eco-friendly decor and idols. The group is also creating an artificial pond so that people can immerse idols. "We have been doing this for the last three years. Each time around 200-250 families have benefitted," added Yagnik.
Not just them, Cambay Tiger, a fish, and seafood suppliers have given the Ganesha another twist. They have made idols from vegetarian fish food as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR). "Every year we see several Ganpati idols immersed into the sea. We felt that why not have this as an ocean friendly celebration and came up with this activity. This way we can save the aquatic life and celebrate the festival as well," said Kusum Jhawar, head of business at Cambay Tiger.
The organisation will be giving away around 150-200 idols from its stores. Each of these idols will be having vegetarian feeds that will become food for fishes when the idols are immersed. She added, "These idols will be given free from our shops. If people want to give any contribution, they can do that in return. We will be using that money also for beach cleaning purpose after immersions," said Jhawar.
