Bengalureans say no to PoP Ganesha idols

BENGALURU: Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations in the city stood out this year for the wholehearted way in which people took to eco-friendly idols. The ‘earth-to-earth’ practice was on display on Tuesday as citizens immersed biodegradable idols in various water bodies, shunning those made of Plastic of Paris.   
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) too had taken measures to curb the use of PoP idols. At Ulsoor Lake, the civic agency had set up separate drums for immersion of the different kinds of idols. Various pooja items, such as flowers, cloth, incense sticks and camphor, were also segregated for separate disposal.

“Out of a total of about 28,000 Ganesha idols immersed, only 50 turned out to be made of PoP. We have made separate arrangements for immersion of the PoP Ganeshas,” Babu, one of the persons in charge of the activity at Ulsoor Lake, told CE.

Most devotees who had assembled at the lake voiced their opinion in favour of the environment-friendly initiative. Amar Deshpande, a resident of BBR Layout, said he and his family chose an earthen idol since as it would easily disintegrate in water, without causing pollution with paints, etc.
“In our house, it’s been a tradition to immerse an idol made only of clay for several years now. This year is no different,” Moumita Das, who lives in Indiranagar, said.“PoP Ganesha is only for show, and is actually harmful,” Srikanth, a resident of Vijaynagar, said.