The Ganesh festival brings joy and happiness in life, and as a nature lover I am always careful about the pollution and environmental damage it can cause, especially the last immersion ceremony. So for last few years I search for places to buy an eco friendly Ganesh idol made from shadu clay in Pune & PCMC.
I remember my childhood when the Ganesh idols were made out of soil taken from the backyards or farm, shaped to Ganesh idol and used to get back to mother earth after immersion in nearby water body like lake, well, ponds, river and sea, which represented cycle of life – creation by lord Bramh & destruction by lord Shiv.
But as the time changed, people started making money out of everything including the Ganesh idols. Since the transportation damages of Shadu soil made Ganesh idols was an issue, artists changed the input material to plaster of Paris (POP) which was cheap and lasting long including the vibrations during transportation to long distances.
However as Plaster of Paris (POP) contains gypsum, sulfur, phosphorus and magnesium, the idols made from POP took months to dissolve in water as well as the toxic colours used on these idols polluted the lake, well, ponds, river and sea.
The paint contained toxic elements like mercury and calcium which further adversely affects the water bodies.
I love lord Ganesh and surely wait for year long for the Ganesh festival, so as a responsible citizen of India, I am as determined to keep environment clean, which made me searching and purchasing Ganesh idols which are made purely using soil (shadu).
02 Aug 2020 :
There are three options added to get Eco Friendly Ganesh idols + one option for Gauri idols
मिथिला गोशाळा, पुणे यांच्यातर्फे गणेशमूर्ती घरी बनवण्याकरता संच उपलब्ध करून देण्यात आला आहे.
गोशाळेशी बोलताना लक्षात आले कि ह्या उपक्रमातून मिळणारा नफा गोशाळा व देशी गाईंचे संगोपन करण्यात वापरला जातो.
आणि मुळात हा उपक्रमच सोशल ऍक्टिव्हिटी आहे ज्यात आम्ही अत्यल्प नफा मिळवून.कोविड १९ सारख्या संकटात लोकांनी कमीत कमी घाराबाहेर पडावे व संसर्ग कमी व्हावा हया करिता आहे.
So once I go through numerous questions people ask me and their answers as per my knowledge, I have also added list of a few places you could buy yourself an eco-friendly Ganesh idol.
So here is the advertisement which I received and booked the kit this year –
Option number 1 – to get Eco Friendly Ganesh idol
मृण्मयी शुद्धी गणेश संच
🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿🌺🌿
मुळात हा उपक्रमच सोशल ऍक्टिव्हिटी आहे ज्यात आम्ही अत्यल्प नफा मिळवून.(अर्थात तो नफा देखील गोशाळा व देशी गाईंचे संगोपन करण्यात वापरला जातो) कोविड १९ सारख्या संकटात लोकांनी कमीत कमी घाराबाहेर पडावे व संसर्ग कमी व्हावा हया करिता आहे.
या लॉकडाऊनच्या निमित्ताने आपण सर्वांनी घरच्याघरी ब्रेड, केक बनवण्यापासून हेयर कट करण्यापर्यंत अनेक गोष्टी आयुष्यात प्रथमच तरीही यशस्वीरीत्या करून पहिल्या. मग आता काय राहीलं? अहो गणेशोत्सव येतोय…. गणेश मूर्ती बनवायची राहिली ना घरच्याघरी !!!
गणेश म्हणजे खरेतर पृथ्वीतत्व. म्हणून त्याची मूर्ती ही मातीची असणे स्वाभाविक आणि रास्त आहे. त्यासाठीच आम्ही घेऊन आलो आहोत मृण्मयी शुद्धी गणेश संच.
यात असेल
1. लाल माती 1.5 किलो
2. मूर्तीचा साचा
3. कृती दर्शिका
4. रंग, ब्रश
5. तुळशीचं बी असलेला मोदक
यातुन आपण बनवू शकाल 8 इंचाची सुरेख पर्यावरणपूरक मूर्ती!!! ☘️ हा sanitize केलेला संच आपणास मिळेल अगदी घरपोच🏠. आणि तेही अत्यंत वाजवी दरात म्हणजे ₹751 (PCMC) & ₹651 (PMC) फक्त.
चला तर मग … घरच्याघरी स्वहस्ते गणेश मूर्ती बनवूनच तिचे पुजार्चन करण्याची आपली पूर्वापार चालत आलेली परंपरा जोपासूया. ही मूर्ती विकतच्या मूर्ती इतकीच चांगली दिसेल का अशी शंका मनात सुद्धा आणू नका. कारण तुम्ही स्वहस्ते बनवलेल्या मूर्तीत असेल तुमचे प्रेम आणि तुमची भक्ती ज्यामुळे तिचे तेज वाढेल आणि रूप अधिकच खुलून येईल.
अशा या मृण्मयी शुद्धी गणेश चे बुकिंग करण्यासाठी त्वरित संपर्क करा. बुकिंगची अखेरची तारीख 12 ऑगस्ट 2020.
संपर्क :
9657752233 📞📞 9822377797 सचिन भामे.
मिथिला गोशाळा,पुणे.
Promoted by
STAR Social Foundation
A initiative of STAR Ventures
Email:- starventurespune@gmail.com
टिपः पिंपरी चिंचवड सोडुन इतर ठिकाणी कुरिअर ने पाठवले जाईल.
Option number 2 – to get Eco Friendly Ganesh idol
One more option for eco friendly Ganesha is added below on 02 Aug 2020
Vruksha Gajanan – Eco friendly Ganesha
Option number 3 – to get Eco Friendly Ganesh idol
🚩 पूर्ण सेट मध्ये काय काय:-
● श्रीगणेश मूर्ती
● खतमिश्रित कुंडी
● चंदेरी लाकडी पाट
● एक फुलझाड किंवा कृष्णतुळशीच्या बिया
● केवडा,कमळ, शालिमार, मरवा आणि दवना असे 5 सुगंधी दीप.
टीप – रक्कम , वरील सर्व साहित्य व घरपोच सुविधे सह आहे
नाव नोंदणी साठी खालील link वर माहिती भरावी, किंवा….संपर्क क्रमांकावर whatsapp किंवा sms ने आपले details कळवावे.
Link – https://forms.gle/a6yig1g5vnxfR8en9
संपर्क :- किरण मोकाशी -9921370834 / पराग सहस्त्रबुध्ये
Where to buy Gauri Mahalaxmi Mukhvte?
If you want to buy Gauri Mukhavate shown in below image then you can contact on the address given below –
Unfortunately I do not have any contact which provides Eco friendly Gauri Mahalaxmi Mukhvte, however since they are generally used for 5-6 years or more than that, its okay to use fiber made once.
यश गौरी मुखवटे हाऊस
सारिका मनेश जव्हेरी संपर्क क्रमांक – ७८४३०५६८७७ महालक्ष्मी गौरी मुखवटे
पत्ता – साईनाथ कॉलनी , तळेगाव दाभाडे, मावळ, पुणे.
पी ओ पी – फुल बॉडी सेट / हाफ बॉडी सेट .
फायबर बॉडी सेट – फुल बॉडी सेट / हाफ बॉडी सेट
So here are some frequently asked questions regarding eco friendly or environment friendly Ganesh idols –
What is Eco-friendly Ganesha Idol?
A Ganesha Idol made of organic soil/mud, natural colors and goes back to mother earth after immersion is called as an Eco-friendly Ganesh
Why Should We Use Eco-friendly Ganesha Idol?
Eco-friendly Ganesh idols does not pollute natural water sources like lake, well, ponds, rivers and sea.
As a part of Ganesh festival, on the last day akak Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees immerse the idols of Lord Ganesha in lake, well, ponds, rivers and sea, this is perfectly fine as long as the idol is made respecting true traditions i.e. clay and natural colours. However since most of the modern day idols are made from synthetic material like POP or fibre they do not dissolve in water for months leading to serious impact on natural lifecycle for water species resulting into severe pollution.
You must have seen pictures in local news papers depicting the situation on the next day of Ganesh chaturthi, where the situation is really bad and can’t be described here 🙁
So in short using eco friendly or traditional true clay made Ganesh idols helps us in two ways, One is that you are respecting real tradition which says idol shall be made from clay and Second – it does not pollute water 🙂
Why POP or Fibre Ganesha idol are so famous?
In-spite of all the odds, POP or fiber idols have gained popularity over years 🙁
Main reason could be that POP finish is glossy, more attractive and chemical colours used on them give fantastic fit and finish which is appealing to eyes.
The paints used on POP are synthetic which are long lasting without causing any handling damages.
As against that true clay idols look simple, delicate for handling and have natural colours which are not that flashy.
Also POP idols are much more cheaper due to the fact that cost of raw material and mass production friendlyness makes them cheap.
Also due to higher costs and less demand, clay idols are not easily available in market.
But I am sure with the Make in India movement and resent trend in market, people will love following real Indian traditions and will buy real clay Ganesh idols to support local potters and #vocalforlocal movement.
Also more and more people are becoming aware about environment and want to support nation to build clean environment in the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan”
Someone said Clay sculptures/idols are not durable!
I know since the clay idols are not oven baked, they have do not have great handling strength.
However looking at the fact that our great grandfathers have given guidelines on handling the Ganesh idol with due care and many mythological stories supporting this statement, its our own responsibility to handle them with extreme care.
And by the way, I have not faced any issue since so many years using Ganesh idols made of pure clay.
Painting of Clay Ganehs Idol
Sure! why not?
Once the idol is dried and clay becomes hard, feel free to paint them using natural or vegetable colors like multani mitti, raw haldi, geru etc.
How to make natural colours at home for painting Ganesh idol?
- China Clay(diluted) –> used as a primer coat.
- Natural Blue–> Extracted from Indigo Plant/Kalappa.
- Natural Yellow–> Extracted from Turmeric/Marigold(Chand huva).
- Orange/Red–>Extracted from Anato seeds / Marigold (Chand huva) (Orange)./Brick Powder(Red).
- Gum Arabic–> used as a BINDER.
- Green–>Extracted from Thumbe Soppu.
- Brown–> Extracted form Katha.
- Black–> Extracted from Charcoal.
- Violet–>Extracted from Jamoon.
- Gold–>Extracted from Mica bearing Clay(Powder form)
Read more about complete process for making and painting Ganesh idol on http://parisaraganapati.net/archives/96
Can I do Ganesha Visarjan at home?
For last few years I have faced heavy traffic near the water bodies and it took hours and lot of pollution due to my car 🙁
So finally I decided to carry out Ganesh immersion at home itself.
Its simple and so I do it every year.
Take a bucket of water, immerse your Ganesh idol into it after proper pooja.
Next day, you will find that it has melted to get back to mother earth.
Feel free to use the soil for garden 🙂 this also gives me feeling that lord Ganesh is residing near me throughout the year 🙂
How to make Clay Ganesh at home?
This year I have bought a kit which consists of clay mould, red soil / terracotta clay,, natural paints. So soon will make it at my own and post a video too, till that time you can refer to below video given to me by STAR Social Foundation
and benefit of using mould is that you need not be a creative person.
All you have to do is to follow the simple instructions and video given below –
Also now a days many pottery studios conduct Ganesha Idol making workshops.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to everyone!!
Ganpati Bappa Morya 🙂
Please note that this article is : This article is purely my personal view/opinion and are not meant to harm the feeling or sentiment of any particular person(s). My idea of writing this post is to protect our environment and make people aware of eco-friendly idols.
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