Planet-friendly idols to dot pandals this Ganesh Chaturthi

Visakhapatnam: The pandals are getting readied in a fastrack mode and so are the myriad themes as envisaged by festival organisers in various localities. As ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ is an opportunity for many to shower their devotion on the Elephant-headed God and usher in obstacle-free success into one’s life, it is also a platform for the festival organisers to highlight their USPs (unique selling proposition) to draw as many devotees as possible to their pandals.

With most organisers, utsav committees, residents’ welfare associations and neighbourhoods getting on their toes to give finishing touches to the themes they have been working on for quite a while, the city is all set to celebrate ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ on August 27 with grandeur.

At Gajuwaka, volunteers get busy unpacking new bundles of sarees as the 111-ft-tall ‘Sri Sundara Vastra Maha Ganapati’ is getting ready with sarees this year. “About 26 artistes from Chirala have teamed up for designing the planet-friendly idol. Post the celebrations, the sarees will be given away to the devotees and donors,” shares K. Ganesh of SV Entertainments with The Hans India.

Likewise, small lingas are being arranged as part of a larger-than-life Ganesh idol at Malkapuram. Along with koti lingas, the organisers here are setting up a Nandi, the celestial carrier of Lord Shiva as well.

A customised silver Ganesh is getting readied at RK Beach as Seerapu Kanakaraju of Youth Icon and his team are working at a brisk pace to complete the set up, a replica of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s temple. “A 2,000-kg silver Ganesh idol will be installed at the APIIC Grounds for the festival. A flower show is one of the highlights at the venue. Those who want to perform puja can also register their names online by logging on to www.youthicon.ganesh.com,” he explains.

While the district administration and civic body are keen on encouraging eco-friendly festivities, NGOs and environmentalists in the city too have come forward to do their bit for the planet-friendly festivities and spread the message of ‘responsible celebrations’ by distributing clay idols and urging people to celebrate the festival without impacting the environment.

By hosting idol-making workshops, educational institutions too are doing their part to instill responsible celebration in students and make them share best practices among the community. For the past three decades, Gayatri Vidya Parishad MLBT School has been organising clay idol-making workshops ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi.

“Barring two years during Covid-19 pandemic, clay workshops have been part of the pre-festival celebrations on the campus. Along with opting for planet-friendly idols, the objective of the annual workshop is to bring in discipline among students and make them do their bit for the environment,” explains K. Madhuravani, Headmistress of the school. Engaging artists, Andhra University Fine Arts students and volunteers, a number of other schools too plan to organise clay-moulding workshops.

In line with the festivities, the city police imposed several restrictions for smooth conduct of Ganesh Chaturthi. As part of it, the organisers were informed to facilitate power supply works at the pandals and they should be certified by electrical engineers. Apart from emphasising on safety measures, the city police underline that the immersion exercise of the Ganesh idols should be carried out at designated places alone. The festival organisers were told to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement.

In the meantime, the AI tools get creative as several reels on social media platforms depict how Lord Ganesh packs his robes and lands on earth with His celestial carrier ‘Mooshik’ to soak in the festival spirit. Contributing their part to eco-friendly celebrations, e-commerce sites offer clay moulds plus fillers like coco peat and clay for those who are keen on crafting their own idols.