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Clay Ganesh idols in demand
With the increase in environmental awareness among people, the eco-friendly clay Ganesh idols are much in demand in the district. Ganesh festival organisers also prefer clay idols to the ones made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) for installation in pandals this time.
Kurnool: With the increase in environmental awareness among people, the eco-friendly clay Ganesh idols are much in demand in the district. Ganesh festival organisers also prefer clay idols to the ones made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) for installation in pandals this time. As Vinayaka Chavithi is just a week away, artisans making clay Ganesh idols are finding it extremely difficult to meet the demand.
A group of artisans from Kolkata came to the district headquarters town months ahead of the festival and started making Ganesh idols using clay, hay, jute fibre, bamboo and other eco-friendly materials. The colours used to decorate the idols are also natural dyes. The clay Ganesh idols which look more attractive than the ones made of PoP reflect their craftsmanship.
The massive awareness campaign launched by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has started yielding results as households also prefer to worship the clay Ganesh idols on the festival day. The pollution of water bodies can be checked to a great extent if people shun the idols made of PoP and chemical colours.
As the festival is round the corner, artisans are busy giving finishing touches to the eco-friendly clay Ganesh idols. The increase in use of clay idols is strongly opposed by the artisans who are engaged in making PoP idols. The artisans making clay and PoP Ganesh idols are at loggerheads at some places as it is a source of livelihood for both of them.
Speaking to The Hans India, Sekhar, an artisan from Kolkata, said ‘‘The clay of River Ganges is ideal for making eco-friendly Ganesh idols. We are using the locally available clay. It takes five days on an average to make an idol of a normal size using eco-friendly materials. A lot of effort goes into making an idol. We are not getting the due for our toil as the prices of clay Ganesh idols are not high despite the good demand.
The government should encourage the artisans making these eco-friendly idols as a majority of them are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.’’Another artisan Ramesh said ‘‘We make eco-friendly Ganesh idols as per the requirements of pandal organisers. They need to place orders much early for clay Ganesh idols. We can make the idols of Ganesh in any incarnation or size if the festival committees show us a photo of
their choice.’’
Hari, a pandal organiser, said ‘‘We need not go to Hyderabad and other cities to purchase big clay Ganesh idols as they are now available locally. We are committed to promoting the use of eco-friendly idols to protect the water bodies from pollution due to immersion. The festival committees are also appealing to households to worship clay Ganesh idols to protect the fragile environment.’’ Green activists are welcoming the change in preferences of Ganesh devotees as it helps curb water pollution.
By D Harikishan
