This Ganesha Chathurthi, let us celebrate by being eco-friendly!
It is high time we throw away all the things which destroy our environment. During the Ganesha Chathurthi festival, idol immersion is part of our culture, I agree, but we can take up the initiative to use only eco-friendly materials for making Ganesha idols for Vinayaga Chathurthi. Our Environment will be saved, the rivers and the sea will be clean of thrash after immersion. Most importantly, it is heartbreaking to see all big idols of Lord Ganesha broken and washed ashore after the immersion in sea. But if we make idols using eco-friendly materials or food grains, it will not damage environment or our water bodies.
So this small Ganesha idol is made using only biodegradable materials such as rice-flour, atta and turmeric powder. When you add these ingredients into hot water, you can mix and knead it into a proper dough, which behaves like clay. Hence, it can be used to make a simple sculpture. If your dough becomes a bit sticky, no worries, you can add a bit more atta or flour and make it a little dry for perfect moulding.
First, I cut out a leaf-shape from a green handmade paper chart. You can also add green food colouring to extra dough and make it green, then press and mould it into the shape of a leaf. Then I kept a small cardboard piece for the base, and rolled out dough to make Lord Ganesha’s limbs. Then I rolled a slightly bigger piece of dough into a ball for the main body, and attached it to the already placed legs. Then after creating the hands (right hand giving blessings, and left hand holding a modak), I rolled a piece to make the head. After placing the head on the body, I rolled a piece cylindrical for the trunk, and attached it. You can also use a toothpick to attach it. I used two flatly rolled pieces to make the ears and attached it.
For the turban and jewels, I used a small amount of red food colour and made an orange-coloured dough. I also used sequins to decorate the idol, which I will remove before immersing in water (since it is supposed to be eco-friendly). I also painted the tripundra and the modak in white, and the eyebrows in black. It was fun creating the mouse and the tiny modaks on a plate!
So hope you all become eco-friendly and do not encourage Ganesha idols made in plastic or plaster-of-paris, which pollutes the sea. Wishing you all a very Happy Ganesha Chathurthi!!
