Environment-conscious Amdavadis opt for send-off in water tubs

AHMEDABAD: Thousands of Amdavadis thronged the banks of the Sabarmati river for immersion of Lord Ganesha idol on Sunday. But there were also those who preferred to stay at home. For this motley group of Ganesha devotees, 'visarjan' at home was the new mantra. They believe that immersing the idols in water tubs closer to their residences is a more environment friendly way as it will not pollute the river.

"We had earlier decided to take a procession till Sabarmati bank to immerse the idol. But then my family members and friends suggested that this year the number of Ganesh pandals have gone up drastically and the rush to immerse idols on the last day could be unprecedented. So, we invited everyone home and immersed the idol in a large metal container which was once used to store grains. After the immersion, we also hosted a lunch party and later used the water for plants in the garden," said Upendra Patel, a resident of Naranpura who runs a transport company in the city .

Many devotees like Patel did the immersion at home to keep the affair environment-friendly. "For the past two years, we have been organizing Ganesh puja at home, and we also went to the Sabarmati for immersion. But now we have realized that although we cannot help but get idol made of clay, we can at least stop ourselves from pollution the river. And, I also think that immersing the Lord in dirty, polluted river water is like insulting him. It is better to do it in clean water and to keep the event a low-key affair," said Dinesh Raiker , a resident of Maninagar.

There were others who kept the immersion a lowkey affair because they feared the security agencies may not be able to control the situation if it gets crowded.

"With terror threat looming large over the city , it will be a tough time for security agencies . So this year instead of taking a procession to Sabarmarti we immersed the idol at our bungalow in a water tub," said Piyush Pannara , a real estate broker .