Panaji: Environmentalists in Goa have began campaigning for an eco-friendly Ganesh festival in the coastal state this year.
With Ganeshotsav getting increasingly modern and, in its turn, detrimental to the environment, green minds have started convincing people to celebrate an ‘eco-chaturthi'.
The five-day long festival devoted to the elephant-headed deity will be celebrated in almost all the Hindu households and several public places in the state from September 11. "The traditional festival is getting a modern outlook and with that the environment is taking a beating," environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said.
He said green NGOs in the state have began efforts to give eco-touch to this festival so that the levels of noise, air and water pollution during the celebrations is reduced drastically. Almost all the Hindu households in Goa worship Ganesh for two, five or eleven days. Later the idol is immersed in the nearby water bodies.
"This is a time for homecoming as people who have settled in urban areas return to their native land but are not bothered about the environment as they want the celebrations to be grand," Kerkar said.
The environmentalist residing in state's Keri village bordering Mhadei wildlife sanctuary said Ganesh idols made of unbaked natural clay, natural fiber and recycled paper will lessen the pollution.
"Ensure that the dyes used to colour the idols are organic or vegetable in origin. The stress on the use of earthen or clay idols embellished by vegetable dyes is a symbolic way of displaying environment-friendliness in religion," Kerkar said in an appeal to the people.
Comments
0 comment