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Like every other year, Bappa came with great pomp, creating hope and happiness in thousands of hearts, and after 10 days broke a lot of hearts while leaving, i.e., Visarjan. The love Lord Ganesha has in the hearts of people is spellbound, which begs the question of what measures people are taking to protect the environment too.
Bombay High Court’s recent order has strictly asked BMC to follow Central Pollution Control Board idol immersion rules that do not allow POP (Plaster of Paris) idol immersion. Rohit Joshi, who is based in Thane, along with nine other clay-based and small-scale idol craftsmen, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) over this issue.
In its order, the Court asked all civic bodies to inform sarvajanik Ganesh mandals that they have to mandatorily follow the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines of 2020 and shun POP idols altogether. There has been resistance from mandals, but there were many followers of this law too. Many celebrities came forward to promote sustainable idols. In Nasik, 29 natural and 56 artificial lakes were set up for immersion to curb water pollution. Under their program “Mission Vignaharta,” the NMC (Nasik Municipal Corporation) distributed ammonium carbonate powder to dissolve POP Ganpati idols at home. They also launched a “Tank on Wheels” initiative.
In Chandivali, a 26-foot-high paper Ganpati was built around a metal frame. It was built in the pandal itself, and on the Visarjan day, it just showered with water, and the tissue was dissolved in 30 minutes. The name of this Ganpati is ‘Boomerang Ka Raja’ and it has created a record after being certified as the ‘world’s tallest eco-friendly Ganpati idol’ by the International Book of Records, an India-based keeper of records.
This is a trendsetter for people complaining about difficulties in transporting clay idols. However, clay idols are indeed much heavier to carry than POP. Bigger clay models take 1–2 months to dry, whereas POP dries in hours. Also, clay models are prone to creating cracks in larger Ganpati idols. These are some challenges in not adapting to eco-friendly Ganpatis.
Still, strict rules are not being followed, but every year there is an increasing number of eco-friendly idols coming into homes and mandals as well. 29,923 household idols and 234 public mandal idols were immersed in artificial ponds to avoid water pollution this year.
81-year-old Yashoda Prajapati has been crafting eco-friendly Ganpati idols from areca nuts for the last 18 years. She sells it for 150 rupees.
The Day of Visarjan (Immersion) is also something people look forward to. As the masses get emotional to bid Bappa Goodbye, the procession is much awaited by them too. A big shout out to the Traffic police and the Police department to ensure safety during this procession. Pune traffic police take measures to send traffic diversion details one day prior so that people can navigate without trouble. In this extreme crowd, they are everywhere with their walkie-talkies, keeping an Owl’s eye watch all over the place.
Dhol Tasha the grace and grandeur of Maharashtra is the soul of processions. The thunder of drums, the energy of the drummers, the big smile on their faces and the infectious laughter, that nath on women’s noses, those flags dancing in front of each Pathak form a powerful emotion. The onlookers cannot help but get immersed in the rhythm of the Drums.
