Artists, buyers gear up for eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi

Rameswaram/Moradabad (Tamil Nadu/UP) [India], Aug 28 (ANI): The festival Ganesh Chaturthi is yet to arrive and people across the country are already immersed in religious fervour. But this year, artisans are stealing the limelight as they are adopting creative eco-friendly ways of making Lord Ganesh idols.
A 10-day festival which commences on the fourth day of Bhadrapada month in the Hindu luni-solar calendar is due to arrive next month.
But taking into consideration the environmental concerns, many artisans along with buyers are opting for an eco-friendly Ganesh idol.
An idol maker in Rameswaram explained, "We've been making Ganesh idols varying in sizes starting from three feet. We also make idols of 6, 9 and 11 feet in height. The materials used in the making of these statues are just papers which can easily dissolve in water."
Also elaborating on the paint used in making, he said, "Another concern is the paint used in colouring the statues. And to cater to that, we have used only water-soluble paint which also mixes into water."
He creates an estimated 10 idols every day and earns around Rs. 500 to Rs. 800.
Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birth of Lord Ganesh and is celebrated with much joy and fervour in many parts of India.
Not only Rameswaram but people in the brass city, Moradabad, are also doing their bit for the environment.
A shop on Moradabad's Kushal road has idols of Lord Ganesh in varying sizes lined up. These are made of soil to prevent water pollution.
Shailendra Kumar, a customer looking for the right idol said, "These idols have been made of soil which won't pollute our rivers. It will easily dissolve in water. The colour used in decoration is also edible."
Raju, the sculptor who has been in the business for over 10 years shared, "I am in the business since 10-12 year and we start making these idols as early as four months prior to the occasion. We make these big idols with just soil and edible paint so as to prevent our rivers from getting polluted."
However, these idols do come at a bit higher prices as compared to other variants, a concerned buyer told, "we can't neglect the river pollution which is already high."(ANI)