There has been a quest for eco-friendly Ganesh idols for quite some time. And for the past three years, Pramod Vitthal Palav, a resident of Kankavali in Sindhudurg district, has been experimenting formulae to come up with such idols.
There has been a quest for eco-friendly Ganesh idols for quite some time. And for the past three years, Pramod Vitthal Palav, a resident of Kankavali in Sindhudurg district, has been experimenting formulae to come up with such idols.
In August, in a special session organised by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for the benefit of the city’s Ganesh mandals, Palav demonstrated one of his formulae.
“This Ganesh idol made from clay, fig tree juice, paper and glue dissolves in water in less than 15 minutes,” said Palav of his invention, which has been certified by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
Palav’s idols attracted a number of devotees from the city who have decided to use this eco-friendly invention for the upcoming festival. Orders have been placed from other parts of Maharashtra as well. However, what has thrilled the artist is that he has sent some idols to the United States. “I have sent five idols to the US and recently received a phone call from Australia asking me for two. They wanted the smaller version of the Lalbaug’s prestigious Ganesh idol, but I am so pre-occupied with earlier orders that I cannot concede to the demand,” said Palav.
According to Sanjay Bhuskute, public relations officer, MPCB, the new formula received a good response. “After that experience, we have decided to hold such sessions from January next year. We will call sculptors and hold special training sessions,” he said.
Palav, who could not accept all the orders for his eco-friendly idol, said that next year he would start work six months before the festival. “I was understaffed and had never expected such a huge response. I made around 3,000 idols, which were sent to Mumbai, Pune and Goa. It felt really good when my experiment was appreciated by people,” said Palav.
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