Greening Up Ganesha

Environmental concerns about the manufacture and immersion of Ganesha idols may have made more devotees buy clay idols but we are far from reaching a green ideal, say experts. With Ganesh Chaturthi just round the corner, time has come for the government to come up with a long-term action plan, they say

If one were to assemble an urban pantheon of gods, Ganesh will no doubt be voted to preside over it, in all his flamboyant glory as envisaged by the idol-makers of our cities. Cities may very well become cosmopolitan centres, people may very well become insanely busy in their own little worlds, Ganesh Chaturthi brings about a community spirit that swells up for approximately two weeks before the community sinks back into its disjointedness.

The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad have long been hosting the elephant god with much fanfare and pomp. While streets everywhere sport pandals of various sizes, lanes lighted up with strings of colourful little bulbs and mass distribution of delicious prasad; loudspeakers blaring out devotional music – some popular ones including copied tunes of hit film songs – and dances and frolicking by the kids in the alleys; local leaders presiding over the proceedings imperiously; the evening pujas, the quiet, lighted nights and then the final send-off to the Lord for the year.

A scenario that almost every Hyderabadi is familiar with, and recalls with nostalgia that is special to the 13 nights of Vinayaka Chaviti celebrations. "With the increase in the number of apartment complexes, each site is becoming a street. Every complex wants to set up its own pandal thus increasing the number of idols that are manufactured and sold and displayed every year," points out Dr W G Prasanna Kumar, Professor, MCR HRD Institute.

The increase in demand has led to a drastic increase in manufacturing centres, filling up markets with idols of various sizes, weeks before the festival. The production of idols happens on three levels, explains Dr Prasanna Kumar, who was formerly a social scientist with the State Pollution Control Board.

While migrant families from Rajasthan set up tents by the roadside and carry out mass production almost all through the year, Dhoolpet in the old city of Hyderabad, produces idols on industrial scale. At a third level, small manufacturers make small murtis (idols) for domestic use. A fourth kind has emerged in recent times - that of clay Ganesha, a trend that has been pioneered by environmental activists and associations.

The festival impressively withstood the rather delicate communal situation that prevailed in Hyderabad for decades but is now faced with an environmental controversy, especially over the disposal of the idols. As Hyderabadis have become more sensitive to the environmental concerns voiced by activists and organisations, the new understanding is reflected in market choices, leading to more stalls that sell clay idols.

"It was my daughter who sentitised me about making it a more environmental-friendly festival. And we convinced our entire colony to adopt idols without synthetic colours and PoP," says Dakshina Murthy, a band official, who lives in Motinagar which has numerous apartment complexes.

Similar reports come from the various parts of the city with schools actively encouraging children to become advocates for this cause. Immersion of the idols in smaller water bodies, even in a bucket at home, is also encouraged to reduce the pollution in the central lake Hussainsagar, which reminds one of a post-war battleground with hundreds of huge idols gradually sinking to their end.

However, the organisers of the festival at a mass scale the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti, is angered by the suggestions that the idols are the cause of the pollution in the lake. "The Government should check the industrial pollution that is ruining the lake instead of blaming a yearly event," Samiti general secretary Dr Bhagvanth Rao said.

The debate about the disposal apart, the whole green initiative will also come a cropper unless the Government comes up with some plan, says Dr Prasanna Kumar. "This year it may be too late, but it is time to chalk out a plan for Ganesh Chaturthi as it is an annual feature and is only going to get bigger."

There is no issue from the user-end, he says. People have adapted very quickly to the new trend, however difficult it might have been to switch from the extremely attractive and colourful plaster-of-paris, painted idols. "There has been, so far, no attempt to assess the demand-supply status of the market regarding this product," he says. As demand grows for the clay idols, the manufacturers are at a loss to produce more for the simple reason that there is no raw material or skilled workers.

"We need to first garner the human resources we have. There are more than a thousand families engaged in pottery in some 450 locations across the twin cities. Their networks are strong, so all that is needed is to train them and sensitise them to the market needs." While the government did initiate talks with the Dhoolpet manufacturers, with HMDA offering its open spaces for setting up workshops, the workers are yet to understand the concept.

"The raw material problem can be solved by linking up the manufacture of Ganesha with the Mission Kakatiya programme of the Telangana Govt," suggests Dr Prasanna. With desilting of lakes being one of the prime activities under Mission Kakatiya, the dumping of the mud removed from the lakes has been a major issue and this can be utilised thus.

There is also, as of now, no single agency that handles the arrangements and permissions for the festival. A nodal agency can streamline the various processes. "The issue is not with people at all. People by and large want to do what is best for themselves and for the environment, " says environmental acivist and practitioner and pioneer of clay Ganeshas. Vijay ram has been distributing idols for free for years now. "What we need to do is to revive rural pottery, train them in this craft."

Vijay ram expresses irritation at the way the whole episode is turned into a Hyderabad centric one. "Villages have been making idols and immersing them in ponds. No village pond ever needed desilting," he says. Hussainsagar is polluted by industries for 364 days and why should there be so much hue and cry over one day of Ganesha, he asks. Emphasises that raw materials are available aplenty provided we shift manufacturing to villages.

Dr Prasanna also suggests growing special gardens under the Harita Haram programme, naming them Vinayaka Vanams, and growing trees and shrubs whose leaves are specially used for Patri in the puja.All our festivals are odes to nature, points out Vijay Ram. Holi colours, Diwali diyas are nothing but natural festivals with scope for organic celebration.

Turning Vinayaka Chaviti into an environment-friendly festival is one of the best ideas that combine many kinds of sensibilities. What is needed is proper linkage between the existing systems and government agencies. Experts believe and advise that in this case the ball is certainly in the court of the government. And until sense prevails, the elephant god shall remain a subject for environment versus establishment debate.

By:Usha Turaga Revelli