Ganesh Festival is one of the popular festivals in India, especially in Maharashtra. In Mumbai, Pune & Thane, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on a very large scale. Nearly lakhs of people celebrate this festival by bringing lord Ganesh murti to their homes. Even many mandals celebrate this beautiful festival by organizing various events. After this 11-days festival is completed, each year nearly 4 lakh Ganpati idols are immersed into the sea, lakes and rivers. But do we realize that on the other hand, we are also harming our environment? Many times we get to see half-submerged idols at the beach. After celebrating the festival with love, devotion and then watching the idols in this condition is something which really breaks our heart.
In recent years many people have come forward and taken the initiative to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly way. Many Bollywood celebrities like Ritesh Deshmukh, Rajkumar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Raveena Tandon, Dia Mirza, have recommended people to buy eco-friendly Ganesh murti. Ritesh Deshmukh was one of the first Bollywood celebrities who urged people to buy eco-friendly Ganesh murti. In 2016 he had uploaded a video on his Instagram handle of him making an eco-friendly murti which created a lot of awareness among the people.
In Mumbai, there are around 4000 Ganpati Mandals and most of them buy Ganesh murti made from POP (plaster of Paris). Every year the number of Ganesh Mandals in Mumbai, Maharashtra and India increases and so does the use of POP. Research says that nearly 90% of people buy Ganesh murtis made from plaster of Paris.
If we don't take things seriously today then in the future things might get even worse. Maybe we won't be able to see the effect now but the new generation will definitely have to face the consequences. So to take care of our environment strict measures Should be taken. Awareness regarding the use of eco friendly Ganesh murti should be spread amongst people. Environment-friendly idols are the best solution for this. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the use of eco friendly murtis. Ganesh murti made from Shadu and paper mache is nowadays used by many people. Shadu murti is made out of clay which is found in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Other parts of the country use clay from other river banks. The main advantage is that Shadu idols dissolve quickly in the water compared to PoP idols. Along with Shadu idols, some people use idols made from recycled paper. In 2019 Tejukaya Ganpati Mandal which is one of the popular Ganesh Mandal in Mumbai had installed 22 feet Ganesh murti made from paper. Many other Ganpati mandals are also now opting for eco-friendly Ganesh murtis.
Since last three years, Deep Ganesh Arts is taking the initiative to help people celebrate the Ganesh festival in an eco-friendly way by selling Ganesh murti made from Shadu. As Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner many people would have already started to book Ganesh idols. But we need to also take care of our environment along with our festivals and traditions. Deep Ganesh Arts which is founded by Jayesh Mehta and Deep Mehta is the best place to purchase an eco-friendly Ganesh idol. Here at Deep Ganesh Arts, you will find beautiful environment-friendly Ganesh murtis made by skilled artists. You can choose from their wide range of Ganesh murtis such as Bal Ganesh Murti, Lalbaugh Cha Raja, Dagdusheth Ganesh Murti etc. We always say that things need to be changed so why not start this by ourselves? If we come together and be a part of this great initiative then gradually many more people will come together and make use of eco friendly Ganesh murti.