When the lord of nature turned green

KERI: The awareness about using eco-friendly materials instead of plaster of paris (PoP) and thermacol appears to be spreading, albeit slowly, as some Hindus have used discarded natural elements to create idols of Lord Ganesha this Chaturthi.

Their aim is to drive home the message of protecting the environment. While PoP idols are banned by the state government, those made of thermacol aren't. Both types, however, are damaging to the environment.

Which is why Suryakant Gaonkar of Bhuipal in Sattari has been preparing idols and decorations for Chaturthi from eco-friendly materials alone for the last five years.

This Chaturthi, his Ganpati is carved out of the banana plant's pseudo stems, which are discarded after the fruit is harvested.

Says Suryakant: "I've used gabe-the local name for the banana plant's pseudo-stems-to make the idol, while the dried leaf of the parasitic plant locally called benulli, which is found on the tree, is used as the crown for the Lord's head."

A year ago, Suryakant had assisted in the preparation of decorations for the wedding pandal of Sandesh Barazankar, a resident of Surla, Barazan, Bicholim.

Only eco-friendly elements were used, to discourage the use of thermacol, he recalls.

At Bicholim, Uday Govind Chanekar has used 70 different items from the seasonal botanical wealth around to decorate the idol of Ganpati.

"For me and my family, Lord Ganesha is a source of inspiration. He is the god of ecology and environment and hence we have used a variety of fruits, creepers, leaves, roots and shoots for the decoration," says Uday.

Suryakant adds, "If we use our creativity, there's so much we can make from biodegradable waste and nature around."

He says in conclusion, "Every year, I use the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi to create an idol from only bio-degradable material available to spread the message of protecting the environment."