How I Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi The Eco-Friendly Way!
Ganpati Bappa Morya! Mangalmurti Morya!
It’s that time of the year again! The celebrations have already begun as we get ready to welcome Bappa home. As you might have guessed from the title, today’s blog is all about how I celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. Even though there are many festivals in India, Ganesh Chaturthi holds a special place in everyone’s hearts. But why do we celebrate festivals in the first place? Obviously to worship God and seek his blessings! But apart from the religious reason, these festivals also provide a chance for families to come together and bond with each other, which is otherwise not possible due to our daily lives.
While there shouldn’t be a limit on the festivities, we need to make sure that the celebration of a particular festival does not harm the nature or environment in any way. Since it’s Ganesh Chaturthi, I thought of sharing with you a few things that me and my family do to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly manner.
Eco-Friendly Ganpati Idol
We’ve been welcoming Lord Ganesha at home for over 100 years. It’s been a tradition in my family since generations. In this glorious history of 100 years, I can proudly say that we never got home a Ganpati idol made of POP (Plaster Of Paris). Until 2018, our Ganpati used to be made from clay or Shadu mati. Once we realised that the colours used on Shadu murtis are artificial and might affect the water bodies, we decided to get ourselves an idol made from German silver. This idol can be immersed in a bucket and kept in a safe place for the whole year after Ganesh Chaturthi.
2. Eco-Friendly Decoration
As we all know, thermocol is a non-biodegradable material which remains in the soil and the water bodies, even years after Ganesh Chaturthi. Hence, we refrain from using thermocol in the decorations and instead make decoration primarily out of paper. One can also use cloth, clay, glass etc for the decorations.
3. Turning Used Flower Offerings And Garlands Into Compost
The flowers which we offer to God are always kept plastic bags and are hurled into water once the Visarjan is done. This results in serious pollution of the water bodies. Even if we throw it in the Nirmalya Kalash, there’s no guarantee that it will be segregated properly. So, we prefer to create compost out of the flower offerings and garlands used during Ganesh Chaturthi. You know what? Preparing a compost is as easy as it gets and doesn’t even emit foul smell or attract insects.
This is how me and my family celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in an eco-friendly manner. Doing so gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction as a citizen that I’m able to do my bit for the country. And it’s not just Ganesh Chaturthi but every other festival that needs to be celebrated mindfully in order to save our environment. After all, a healthy mind resides in a healthy environment!
How do you celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi? We would love to hear it from you in the comment box below.