Sanskarinagari gears up to welcome Green Ganesh

VADODARA: The city is set to usher in a greener Ganesh festival this year. Pandals that are otherwise known to have their way by installing large idols made out of plaster of Paris (PoP) and resist restrictions imposed by authorities are going the natural way.
Various Ganesh pandals across the city are sporting an eco-friendly look by installing idols made out of clay and coconut husk.Some are also going to the extent of sourcing natural dyes for colouring the idols.
Setting an example are a few mandals like Kesaria Seva Trust that has been installing an eco-friendly idol for the last three years. "The fish at the pond at Motnath Mahadev Temple started dying soon after ?visarjan' (immersion) because of the chemicals and the POP used in the idols. Seeing this, we committed ourselves to installing only eco-friendly idols in the festival," says Kiran Jadhav, who actively supports the cause of a green celebration. On the Karelibaug ? Harni stretch, theirs is the only green pandal. "This year, the clay for our idol has been specially sourced from the banks of the Ganges and we are also using natural dyes for colouring them," says Jadhav.
Inside the by-lanes of Dandiya Bazaar is an installation that has a legacy of 57 years. However, the pandal started donning a natural look only in the last five years. The maximum height for the installation is six feet and the pandal opts for water colours to paint the idols. "Our pandal enables the locals to get a feel of religious places like Amarnath and Vaishnodevi and we ensure minimum impact on the environment," says Sandip Kadam, member of Bal Shivaji Yuvak Mandal that instals the pandal that won the first prize for the best installation in the eco-friendly category last year.
The Tadfadiya Sarvajanik Youvak Mandal popular for its installation that towers between 21-22 feet is in its fifth year of installing an eco-friendly Ganesha. Its 16 feet installation this year is made of clay and grass.
Tapan Mandal, one of the few sculptors in the city, who takes orders for moulding eco-friendly Ganesh idols says, "I only take about six orders for idols per year and design simple Ganesh idols that look realistic." A large number of pandals are going natural this year. Thus the ?Green Ganesha' is here to stay. However, their exact numbers would only be known after a couple of days, sources said. This is because the registration process for pandals was still on.