The sleepy village of Yendluru near SN Padu has turned a beehive of activity in recent days, with people flocking to a workshop here to buy clay idols of Lord Ganesha ahead of Vinayaka Chavithi.
Thanks to a rise in awareness on the dangers posed by Plaster of Paris, devotees are increasingly turning to eco-friendly alternatives. Collaborating with the Lion's Club of Ongole, Society for Awareness and Vision on Environment (SAVE) Foundation prepared over 100 Ganesha idols of five feet height using natural substances including sediment collected from the Ganga, husk, hay and jute fibre expecting an increase in the number of orders as the festival is being celebrated on a grand scale after the passing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘’We expect more devotees to install Green Ganesha idols this time with the health situation normalising this year,” says Ms. Rachana Medikonda while giving finishing touches to a glossy idol.
Workers from West Bengal, from where fine sediment had been collected from the Ganga, have been working for over three months to come out with the beautiful images of Lord Lambodara. Environmentally-conscious buyers were provided with ‘Khadi Pancha and Kanduva’ as gifts. The idols are priced at ₹6,000 per piece with a view to encourage more people to switch over to the environmentally-friendly way of celebrations, she says in a conversation with The Hindu.
PoP Ganesha idols were in short supply this time as many of the idol manufacturers churned out fewer idols going by the losses they had suffered during the pandemic. “Many of them burnt their fingers as a majority of customers sought a refund of the advance amount in view of the restrictions imposed by authorities in the last two years owing to COVID-19,” says K. Mallikarjun, who has set up a workshop on the outskirts of the city.
People distributed clay idols of Lord Ganesha outside the Collector’s office. Meanwhile, vendors selling fruits and leaves for performing puja to the elephant-headed God and decorative items did brisk business.
‘’We have decided to immerse the Ganesha idol in our apartment itself without taking out a large procession with fanfare to the beach anticipating restrictions from the police,” said a group of devotees who are determined to celebrate the festival in an environment friendly manner.
