Ban could PoP Uddhav Thackeray’s bubble

The proposed ban on plaster of Paris Ganesh idols has evoked a strong and bitter reaction from Shiv Sena chief (well, he is de facto chief, isn’t he?) Uddhav Thackeray, who has said that no one has the right to interfere with Hindu festivals.

An interesting view, indeed. What Uddhav is in fact saying is that if the Ganesh idols are made of eco-friendly material, it insults Hindu religion. He has lashed out at the environmentalists and has advised them to fight at Lavasa and Jaitapur instead.

It’s time Uddhav realised a few things. There is no diktat in Hindu religion that the idols should be made only of PoP. For centuries, devotees in Maharashtra have used clay idols. The number was smaller and even the idols were shorter in height.

The scales turned after Lokmanya Tilak decided to use the festival to spread awareness against the British Raj. Celebrating the festival on a grand scale led to making of gigantic idols and as their weight had to be kept manageable, the sculptors used PoP. There was nothing religious about it, apart from convenience.

Obviously, Uddhav knows this. It was his party’s mayor Shubha Raul who had suggested that idols should be eco-friendly. It was her idea to immerse idols in makeshift ponds so that natural lakes and other water sources in the city (which are scant anyway) are not polluted. She was also the one who wanted the height of the Ganesh idols to be reduced.

Why is he making noises then? Well, it is the economics of the public celebrations, controlled almost entirely by his party, that is at stake and that’s the reason why Uddhav is up in arms.

Thousands of Ganesh mandals in the city and state collect hundreds of crores of rupees by way of ‘contribution’ (often termed as soft extortion by traders who must part or face consequences by the local bhais). If PoP is indeed banned, then the idols will have to be shorter and smaller, thereby reducing their numbers to great extent.

These mandals will have no right to ask more money and thousands of Sainiks will have lost their livelihood, not the idol makers.

Coming to environment, Uddav and his party are denying what is recognised world over by experts — PoP is harmful to nature. His advice to the environmentalists is also misplaced, because it was the government led by his party that not only cleared a much bigger thermal power project at Dabhol, but also allowed the company to change from a cleaner fuel (natural gas) to naphtha, which is more polluting.

So, Uddhav’s protest over the PoP ban has nothing to do with religion. It’s all about the money, honey.