The idea germinated after the team, which had created a paper Ganpati and even won the dna eco-friendly Ganpati competition in 2014, decided to make a stronger statement this year.
With an aim to highlight pollution of waterbodies due to toxic paints and Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols and to spread the message that it was time to clean this mess, a team working for a Charkop-based agency carved out a two-and-a-half-foot tall Ganesha idol out of an alum block — widely believed to be a water purifier.
The idea germinated after the team, which had created a paper Ganpati and even won the dna eco-friendly Ganpati competition in 2014, decided to make a stronger statement this year.
"Water pollution due to immersion of PoP Ganesh idols has been on the rise; hence, we chose alum, to support the cause of water purification, something that has been disregarded by the society. We knew that after we immerse our idol it will not only dissolve completely, but will also help purify the water in the pond," said Biswa Ranjan Rath, creative director for WITS Interactive, adding that it took them 30 days of hard work to carve out the idol.
Rath said they began with two heavy slabs of alum, placed one on top of the other, to chalk out an outline, after which each part of the idol was consciously sculpted to prevent crumbling.
"The biggest challenge was inexperience in dealing with alum as not even a single team member was familiar with the art of sculpting. Another major issue we faced was the effect of changing weather conditions on alum as it absorbs moisture; in spite of keeping it in a dry place, it showed signs of being damp," said Deepti Chhugani, HR manager.
The team soon started researching and made a paste of water and multani mitti, which was plastered to perfect the idol. It also used tissue paper to absorb moisture from the idol and soon various body parts were chiselled out. To adorn the idol, the crown and accessories were crafted out of crape paper and golden textured paper.
"On completion of sculpting, chipping and finishing touches to colour the idol, we zeroed in on natural soy crayons that enhance the colour effects and are eco-friendly," said Ajay Vishwakarma, exhibition production manager.
He added that the idol was immersed on Friday and able to garner a lot of attention among the employees as well as their families and friends, as they have been sharing a six-minute video that documents the entire idea and thought behind it.
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