Mumbaikars make their own eco-friendly Ganeshas

The past few years have seen people of Mumbai become environmentally conscious because they have been using Ganesha idols made from natural clay or soil during the 11-day festivity. Some have taken that a step ahead and picked up idols made from paper, chocolate, cow dung, etc. There are some like seed Ganeshas that are not only eco-friendly, but also dissolve in water and grow into plants, while others turn into food for aquatic creatures. There is also a segment who go to workshops regularly to learn the art of making eco-friendly Ganesha idols. This year, the number of workshops have not only gone up, but those attending it are doing so to go beyond the basic steps and get creative with the eco-friendly idols...

Clay Ganpati made with shadu mati
Aparna Dharmadhikari, a cinematographer by profession is involved in organising cultural programmes and one such is conducting workshops on making idols made from shadu (natural solvable clay). This year saw Abhijit Dhondhphale, a noted sculptor from Pune, guiding participants in making the idols at Goregaon West. Says Aparna, “Our workshops are designed for everybody, right from those with no prior experience or creative skills to make their own enviroment-friendly idol from scratch. The joy of making your own idol is something else altogether and the awareness has definitely increased. Last year we had 250 participants, which increased to 500-plus this year. In the three-hour workshop, Abhijit guided all the participants, giving tips on how to mould the clay and checking the work of each participant.”
The enthusiasm was infectious with active participation from kids and adults alike, who were eager to take back home the idol and colour it when dry. There was a family of four who took it as a Sunday outing and made it into a fun learning experience, Nandini Kumar, a designer by profession, was amongst the first to finish her idol. Proud of her work, Nandini says, “Instead of buying an idol, I thought of personalising it by making it myself. That way it would be unique and a true reflection of what this festival means to me. It is comforting to know that the idol is 100% recyclable, It can then be returned to nature, by dissolving it completely in a container of water and pouring it into a garden or the base of a tree.”

Make it sweet with chocolate Ganeshas
Chocolate Ganeshas have been a rage in recent times, and Reeta Mehta, who learned making these last year, decided to share the knowledge with others. “Chocolate Ganeshas are so simple to make that anyone can learn it even from various tutorials online. But making these together in a group is always exciting, so us, moms, gathered a bunch of kids and taught them to make chocolate-based idols. The response was good closer to the festival, so we are planning to make more of these with adults participating too,” she informs.

Getting prolific with paper
Many would be surprised to know that paper can be used in many ways to make a Ganpati idol. Says home based art and craft expert Shravni Dev, “I conduct special workshops for kids during this time and use craft to teach them to make their own idols. Even with basic paper and cardboard, they come up with cool new looks for their Ganeshas. I also use a lot of paper quilling to make the idols as it give them proper form. We use coloured quilling paper to make them.”



Making your own seed Ganesha
The craze for Ganesha idols, which have seeds in it, is growing bigger every year. These are immersed in garden planters at home during visarjan. The seeds grow into plants with regular watering. Now you can make these idols at home, says Supriya Darekar from Dadar, who conducted one such workshop recently. “We used red soil to make Ganpati idols. Participants at the workshop also found it very easy to mould and carve. A cavity is retained at the base of the idol. The participants take these idols home and are advised to let the them dry naturally for a week. They are also given tomato seeds and red soil. After the idols are completely dry, they put the seeds in the cavity and seal it with the red soil. Whenever they want to do the visarjan, they just have to place the idols in planters and pour water over them. Regular watering shows results in the form of plants. They can use any seeds like basil, coriander, etc., other than tomato seeds,” she elaborates.

A workshop to make eco-friendly makhars too
With the plastic and thermacol ban in the city, Mumbaikars have to get creative and use various different material to make their makhars look interesting. Amrita Nambiar along with Rashmi Rajendran organised a workshop in Goregaon on making handmade decorations for Ganesh Chaturthi. The response was good, says Amrita, adding, “We realised that people were looking for other options after the plastic ban, so we decided to introduce creative ideas for them to explore. It was mostly adults, who were interested as they wanted to take the finished decorations back home for their idols. Participants came up with the theme, backdrop and the colours and ideas they wanted to use. Kids joined in to make accessories for their idols. We used a lot of paper mache, craft paper and cardboard for material and guided them with step-by-step instructions to create elegant and colourful designs.”