Bhopal idol-maker comes up with eco-friendly Durga

BHOPAL: An idol of godess Durga installed in the pandal of Arera Bangiya Parishad pandal at Old Campion ground is setting an example for eco-friendly idols for the future.

The life-sized idol is made from wires, plywood, adhesive and 4 kilos of newspaper, said its maker Pradeep Ghosh.

Ghosh, 46, a social worker has attempted the feat for the first time. Speaking about his inspiration for the idol he said, "People only talk about eco-friendly stuff but no one actually shows a way out or does anything about it. This year, I thought why not attempt something which could show the way for the future which is environment-friendly?"

It took him two and a half days to complete the full idol with the asura and a lion. His 17-year-old daughter Piuli helped him to make the crown and the weapons.

"When I started making the idol on Chaturthi, I didn't expect it to materialize so well. I had installed the idol at the puja premised on the Shashti eve," he said.

Calling it experimentation on his part, Ghosh described how he made the structure. "I had plywood of about 6 ft long and 2.5 ft wide. This I used as the base over which the structure was mounted. The rough frame work was done with wires over which the crumpled newspaper base was attached. Each body part was made separately. Finally, to give it a neat finish, a single sheet of newspaper was stuck over the structure," he said.

"The idol is not just eco-friendly, but the expenditure is minimal as well. This could pave the way over the POP idols which are not biodegradable. Also many were sceptical that only a small size of the idol could be formed but even that is laid to rest now," Ghosh added.