Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi - The Environment Friendly Way!
Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is one of the important Hindu festivals celebrated throughout India with great devotion. This day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on Shukla Chaturthi of the Hindu month of Bhadra (generally falls between August and September). This festival is celebrated by Hindus with great enthusiasm. People bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and do worship. The duration of this festival varies from 1 day to 11 days, depending on the place and tradition. On the last day of the festival, the idols are taken out in a colourful and musical procession and immersed traditionally in water.
As per Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesh is considered as "Vigana Harta" (one who removes obstacles) and "Buddhi Pradaayaka" (one who grants intelligence). This festival is very important for students, they worship Lord Ganesh to illumine their minds.
Every year, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations culminate in the immersion of Ganesha idols into the sea, rivers, lakes or ponds. As most idols are made from Plaster of Paris and toxic, non-biodegradable chemical colours, the immersion ends up causing considerable harm to marine life. In a bid to reduce the environmental damage, many devotees have begun installing Ganpati idols that are both innovative and eco-friendly.
Lokamanya Tilak started the public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. It was started so that the outlook of people did not remain restricted to their homes but so that people could come together by keeping aside their differences. By doing this the feeling of unity, team spirit would grow.
Ganesh Idol Immersion:
Anant Chaturdashi, also called Ganesh Visarjan is a festival that occurs 10 days after Ganesh Chaturthi, on the fourteenth day of the lunar fortnight. It is a day for special prayers and ceremony not only for Hindu's but for Jains as well.
Anant Chaturdashi falls 10 days after Ganesh Chaturthi for a reason. On Ganesh Chaturthi, those who believe in it or follow it, invite the god Ganesh into their home for a visit. He is symbolised by a statue and devotees offer prayers during this period. After 10 days, his visit comes to end and prayers are done to thank him for his auspicious visit and all the blessings he bought with him. After that to signify the god Ganesh's departure, you must escort his statue out, amid ceremony and immerse the statue in a body of water with prayers.
The Story:
There is also a story behind the prayers to God Anant. Once there was a girl named Sushila. Her father was a Brahmin named Sumant who remarried Karkash after Sushila's mother passed away. Karkash was not as nice Sushila and so when Sushila got married she decided to move away with her husband. Her husband was called Kaundinya and on their journey from her home, they came upon a river. Kaundinya went for a bath and while he was bathing Sushila saw some women praying. She joined them and asked them about their worship. They explained that they were worshipping a god called "Anant", and when Sushila questioned them some more, they explained the significance of Anant’s vow. As she was starting a fresh life with her husband Sushila thought it best to pray with them and take the vow as Anant’s blessings would surely help her husband and her in their new life. The women taught her the rituals and she took the vow, tying the ceremonial thread on her left hand (As is traditional for women. Men tie it on their right.)
It seemed that Anant had truly blessed them for Sushila and Kaundinya prospered in life. One day Kaundinya questioned her on the thread she wore, and she told him of her vow and Anant’s blessing. He was not happy to hear she believed that and argued that all they had gained was due to his own hard work and intelligence. They both argued on this and took the Anant string from her hand and threw it in a fire.
After that several misfortunes fell upon them and they were reduced to poverty. Finally, Kaundinya understood that their fortune was due to Anant and he underwent severe penance to find Anant and ask for forgiveness. When Anant revealed himself, he realised Kaundinya realised Anant was just another name for the God Vishnu, the Eternal One.
While celebrating all over India, it is most elaborate in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa. Outside India, it is celebrated widely by Hindus in the United States, Canada and Singapore. There are no strict rules; usually, the Ganesh Visarjan ceremony depends on the family tradition. Symbolically, Lord Ganesha visits the home on Ganesh Chaturthi day and it is family to decide when they want to give him the farewell. There are several families that perform the Ganesh Visarjan ceremony on the very next day after Vinayak Chaturthi. Other dates that are chosen for Ganapati immersion are 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 10th (the Ananta Chaturdasi day after Ganesh Chaturthi).
Water Pollution due to Ganesh Idol Visarjan
The Main Pollution is caused by the Plaster of Paris Ganesh idols and the Chemical paints used in them.
1. Plaster of Paris is not a naturally occurring material and contains gypsum, sulphur, phosphorus and magnesium. The idols take several months to dissolve in water and in the process poison the waters of lake, ponds, rivers and seas.
2. The Chemical Paints used to decorate the Ganesh idol contain mercury, lead, cadmium and carbon and this increases the acidity and heavy metal content water.
3. Several accessories used during the Ganesh Puja like Thermocol, plastic flowers, cloth, incense, camphor and numerous other materials dumped carelessly adding more strain to the already polluted rivers and lakes.
4. Careless immersion of Ganesh Idols in Water bodies blocks the natural flow of water. This results in stagnation and breeding of mosquitoes and other harmful pests.
5. In many areas, the same polluted water gets pumped into homes.
We really need to re-consider our ethics and morals here: On one hand, we welcome Ganesha and wish for our problems to go away magically and on the other hand, we are sending him off in the most troublesome and polluted way possible.
Look at the image below and reflect! Does this seem to be a friendly goodbye?
Effects of Ganesh Idol immersion
1. Such pollution caused damage to the ecosystem:
a. Killing the fishes
b. Damaging the plants
c. Blocking the natural flow of water and causing stagnation
Such pollution damages health by polluting drinking water sources causing:
a. breathing problem
b. Blood diseases
c. Skin diseases
However, an earlier report by the Hindustan Times observed that there has been a dramatic jump in the demand for 'green' idols to celebrate the festival.
Some of the most creative eco-friendly Ganpatis doing the rounds:
Plant-a-Ganesha
Mumbai artist Dattadri Kothur creates eco-friendly Ganpati idols that are made from red soil and fertilisers and contain plant seeds. At the end of the 10-day festival, the idols undergo a symbolic immersion. Instead of being immersed in a water body, the idol is placed in an accompanying pot and watered until it dissolves. Thanks to the lady finger or tulsi seeds are sown in the pot, the idol grows back as a plant.
Candy wrapper Ganesha
When it comes to keeping this festival 'fresh', sculptors and idol makers seem to be taking things quite literally. For the last two years, giant Ganesha statues made from Mentos mint candy wrappers have been doing the rounds in Mumbai. Last year there was a very 'sweet' 6-foot Ganesha decorating a pandal in Malad. And, this year, a society from Byculla West has produced another imposing Ganesha, innovatively incorporating candy wrappers in different hues.
Fish-friendly Ganesha
For the second year in a row, Mumbai-based NGO Sprouts Environmental Trust is making idols that fish can eat. The brainchild of ecologist Anand Pendharkar of the Sprouts Environmental Trust, the statues are made with clay and stuffed with fish-friendly food such as corn, spinach, wheat and vegetable powder. The team has also reduced the size of the idols and decorated them with biodegradable, organic colours such as turmeric, chandan and gerua.
Gobar Ganesha
Several Ganpati makers have taken to substituting cow dung for clay in the interest of preserving the environment. This greener method of producing Ganesha idols, according to a report in the Deccan Chronicle that quotes one of the many manufacturers who have taken up this green initiative, "can be immersed easily in lakes, and can also act as manure for plants."
Chocolate Ganesha
Commercial designer turned baker Rintu Rathod has been adding a sweet touch to the festival with her chocolate Ganeshas. Five years ago, the sight of half-dissolved Ganpati statues cluttering Mumbai beaches made Rathod determined to minimise her carbon footprint. She began making chocolate Ganeshas which, upon immersion in milk, became the perfect recipe for milkshakes, much to the delight of children in different orphanages where the milkshake is then distributed.
This year, Rathod has upped the ante: she has baked a five-feet tall chocolate Ganpati that weighs a whopping 50 kg. She toiled for over 60 hours on the Ganpati and will eventually dissolve it in milk to create a chocolate-shake prasad that will be distributed to children across Mumbai.
Sugarcane Ganesha
While going green might be a new trend for many Ganpati followers, one family in Mulund has been minimising their carbon footprint during the festival for over a quarter-century. According to a report in the Times of India, the family worships a pyramid of sugarcane sticks that represents the pandal and are distributed on the day of the immersion as prasad to friends and family members. Last year, in an attempt to avoid plastic materials and chemical colours in Tamil Nadu, 20 workers produced a 2-tonne Ganpati made entirely of sugarcane sticks. (Check it out below.)
Ganesha Of Coconut Husks
There is no shortage of eclectic eco-friendly materials to construct a 'green' Ganpati idol. While some have opted for raw vegetables to make the idol at home (here's how, bee tee dubs), these women from Sabarkantha have combined mud and coconut husk to produce Ganpati idols that will easily dissolve. The basic structure is made from mud, and once dry, the figures are bound with fibres from coconut husks.
Alum Ganesha
Pune-based artist Vivek Kamble has been making alum Ganesha idols that can quickly dissolve in water. Since alum is often used for the purification of wastewater, Kamble says the statues help clean the water. The idols are designed with food colours, and weigh between 1 to 1.5 kg and are up to 10 inches tall.
Masala Ganesha
A neighbourhood in Mumbai has made a 9-foot tall Ganesha idol out of spices and newspapers. The Shri Sai Darshan Mitra Mandal in Malad crafted the 190-kg statue of the elephant god using 9 kg of clove, 20 kg of cinnamon, 6 kg of chillies and 1 kg of mustard seeds. In the past, the team has also fashioned idols out of unconventional materials such as pencils and erasers, chocolate and toy cars.
Please do make a respectful and considerate choice!
Wishing our readers, a happy and prosperous Ganesh Chaturthi.
