Now, idols go green with veggies

At a time when Ganesh mandals across the city are caught in the race to roll out the biggest Ganesh idol, albeit using plaster of Paris and thick coats of chemical paint, students at Villa Theresa School at Peddar Road are learning the trick of churning out small palm-sized eco-friendly idols.

In a breakaway from using plain old jute and paper, this year the students have used vegetables like eggplants, potatoes, dal and even wheat flour to make their Ganesh idols.

As part of the ‘Green Ganesha’ drive across city schools by Children’s Movement of Civic Awareness (CMCA), the students recently built an idol using eggplants and potatoes, wherein they used eggplant for the head while the stem formed the idol’s trunk and potatoes were used to form its body. Stating that it’s been six years that the students have been making green idols, Vinodini Lulla, founding CMCA co-ordinator said this was the first time they have used vegetables to create ‘veggie idols’.

“Vegetables are not only easily available, their use does not harm the environment, said Lulla, adding, “Only if bigger Ganesh mandals picked up such an idea can the true green spirit of the festival be celebrated.’’ Under the guidance of 50-year-old fashion designer Ferozie Wadia, students have also learnt to create idols using wheat flour. ‘‘Unlike clay and other harmful products, flour is edible to the fishes. We mix edible colour in the flour and avoid using any chemicals,’’ said Wadia, who is now teaching students to use various dals, including tur and moong among others, for decorating the idols, instead of flowers. “I discourage them from using flower garlands and coconuts, which also pollute the water. Hence, dal, which is edible to the fish,’’ she added.

Ruing the damage caused to the environment by plaster of Paris idols, Manish Solanki, a class 7 student at St Elias School in Khar, said, ‘’It was fun making the eco-Ganeshas. We were able to make the idols in less than a day. A day after the immersions, we encounter shocking scenes at beaches, with artificial materials refusing to dissolve in water harming the fauna.’’

Nupur Sirur, a class 7 student who innovated the veggie Ganesh idol, said, ‘’Vegetables are eco-friendly and after the immersion they will not cause any damage to the environment. It is better to use such materials instead of using artificial ones.’’