Get back to nature
MANISHA GUTMAN
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This Ganesh Chathurthi make sure that your celebrations do not harm the environment.
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Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma.
Play it safe: Immerse only clay idols.
Ganesha has a unique form which combines the head of an elephant with the body of a human being. Ganesh Chaturthi this year it falls on September 15. Unfortunately, the manner in which we have come to celebrate this festival has begun to damage the environment and as a result, the animal world.
An alternative
Traditional means of observing this festival involved taking some earth or clay, worshipping the divinity in this form of earth, and then immersing it into a stream or pond at the end of the festival. In this ritual, what is important is that what came from the earth, should return to the earth, simply and naturally.
However, at some point sculptors began to use Plaster of Paris to make the Ganesh idols. PoP is not a natural material, it is made by processing gypsum. When immersed it increases the acid content of the water. In addition, when the idols are painted using chemical paints, lead and mercury also get released. The day after Ganesh Chaturthi one can observe shoals of dead fish floating in lakes and rivers.
It is important that we find a way of worshipping in such a way so as not to harm any living being as well as being environmentally safe. So what can we do?
The simplest solution is to conduct a symbolic immersion. Take your PoP Ganesha idol to the river, and sprinkle a few drops of water on it. Take it back home and use it again next year.
You could also donate your idols to groups who can recycle them for the following year. In Pune, families immerse a betelnut as a symbol of Ganesha!
If you want to immerse the idol, then make sure that you do not use PoP.
Find out where you can buy an idol made of natural clay, paint it with natural materials such as turmeric and geroo. Immerse this idol in a bucket of water in your own home, and you can then water your garden with it.
In this way, you can protect the living beings in our streams and rivers while worshipping
Ganesha!
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