Why is Celebrating Eco-Friendly Ganpati Important in Todays World ?
With the winter waning and the spring arriving, India will witness a host of festivals in the months of February-March. One of the most prominent festivals to be celebrated during this occasion is the Maghi Ganeshotsav or Maghi Ganesh Chaturthi. Although this festival is marked across the country in various forms, it is the state of Maharashtra where the festival is celebrated in its biggest form with a lot of pomp and zest. The celebrations are very unique. With the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown in 2020, all festivals were celebrated in every sober way with no big and colorful or ostentatious display. In view of this, in 2021, the Maghi Ganeshotsav is expected to be special. Devotees will welcome Lord Ganesha into their homes by bringing in a Ganpati idol, venerating the idol and organizing get together following social distancing rules in their capacities for a period of 1,3,5,7,9 or 11 days. During this celebration, the hosts generally call along with their families, friends, near and dear ones for paying their obeisance to the lord. There's a lot of enjoyment as people consume the specially prepared Prasad or offering while socializing with each other. Children are all too excited to wear new clothes and meet up with cousins and extended family members. At many places, a common feast is organized and the preparations are distributed amongst all present alongside making donations and charity to the needy.
The current method of celebrating the occasion has a historic significance. Inspired by the Maratha empire where the Peshwas organized a mega congregation during Ganeshotsav, the present form of celebration was initiated by nationalists fighting for India's Independence from the British in Saurashtra. Led by the revolutionary leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak who used Ganeshotsav to set up Pandals or stalls where he organized meetings and generated social support for the freedom struggle amongst the common public.
After the independence of India and the subsequent formation of the state of Maharashtra; This also gave rise to the practice of affluent groups and political parties organizing a common pandal with a common idol open to all people to visit and seek blessings. Such groups are still highly active and every year they invest in getting the biggest idols, sprucing up the stage to look bigger and better to attract more devotees, donations, to outdo each other. This competition has resulted in the creation of workshops that spring up just before the festival to create large-sized idols and industrialization of art that was traditionally a domain of small-time artisans, now employing professionals in large numbers, using skeletons made of wooden frames and stilts along with harmful chemicals like Plaster of Paris and synthetic paints to make the idols lightweight and ensure they do not break during transport.
As a result, today the Ganeshotsav celebrations have resulted in a large amount of pollution and damage to the environment as well as life too. Idols are made from Plaster of Paris and use synthetic paints. The send-off ceremony for ganeshotsav sees the idols being immersed in water bodies like rivers and sea on the final day of the Pooja. Since the Idols are made from synthetic materials they do not dissolve in water completely and remain in the bodies slowly giving out the poison that kills a lot of marine life. This creates a large amount of water pollution and damages many water bodies too. As the idols made from POP and synthetic materials do not decompose they also give rise to the garbage that is dumped on the banks and coasts by the water bodies contributing to pollution of the surroundings.
To get over the problem without having to do away with the celebrations many people are coming up with various alternatives to reduce water pollution and promote sustainability. The most successful and commonly promoted idea is to go for Eco-friendly Ganesha idols. Eco-friendly Ganesh idols are idols that are made from natural materials, organic sources and which can degrade in a way that is easy, short time and does not harm the environment at all. Many of these are made using natural clay or Shadu Mati that is considered traditionally auspicious. Also since the clay is totally natural when immersed in water the idol dissolves completely without leaving a trace or damaging the marine life or the ecosystem.
Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly way is very important as we know that less than 1% of the total fresh water in the world that can be used for drinking purposes is available in our country. With an ever-growing population, rapid industrialization, and reduction of forests, it is important for all of us to conserve water so that we can survive in the future. Polluting the water bodies with inorganic and non-degradable things will make the water unfit for drinking and cause serious illness.
At ecoganesha.com, our aim is to do our bit to keep the environment clean and free of pollution. We promote the use of sustainable ways to celebrate the festivals and are receiving a lot of love and support for this initiative. If you're looking for the perfect eco-friendly Ganesha idol for your home or celebration, we have a range of options for you. The idols are made by local craftsmen using recycled paper, organic clay, and red soil or Shadu Mati. Thus we are able to generate sustainable jobs for small-time artisans and promote as well as nurture their art.
Check out ecoganesha.com today and order your EcoGanesha thus truly paying obeisance to the lord by nurturing the world he has created !