The environmental concern of the Bangaloreans, who frown at the increasing pollution in the 'Green City' and prefer organic food, has hardly resulted in any initiative from the side of citizens, when it comes to buying unpainted clay idols on Ganesha Chathurthi.
Inspite of long discussions on the issues, saving lakes and controlling pollution are still treated as the Government’s job.
Ganesha sculpted out of earth is pushed away by the glossy and colourful idols. The cosmo crowd in the City is buying idols that suit their fancy. They prefer a plaster of paris (PoP) idol of Ganesha with bright colours, preferably one with ceramic finish.
After a whirlwind tour of shops, footpaths and idol-makers’ across the city, Deccan Herald could spot only a few places, where unpainted clay idols are made and sold and a few Bangaloreans, who have resolved to buy clay idols of Ganapathi, for environmental reasons.
“My teachers told us that the painted idols kill the fish and plants in the lakes and pollute water, when we immerse them. If we drink the same water, we’ll die. We should not paint Ganesha,” advocated 10 year-old Sathyaprakasha, who studies in Class V in National School, Basavanagudi.
“We keep reading in newspapers about the water pollution the chemical paints and plaster of paris idols cause. I’ve been buying clay idols for the last three years to contribute my bit to pollution control,” said K C Narasimhan, a 63 year retired bank employee who resides in Jayanagar.
A clay idol is natural and thus it looks more divine and beautiful, said Savitha Suresh, a 35 year old housewife.
“I’ll decorate my clay Ganesha with flowers, haldi and kumkum and i’m sure it’ll look more beautiful than the artificially painted ones,” she added.
The creation of idol out of earth and its immersion in a water body represents the cycle of creation and dissolution in Nature. The idols made of PoP contradicts this basic idea of the festival.
Many communities still worship Ganesha sculpted out of clay as a tradition, said M Swaminathan, 42-year-old lawyer.
People started using PoP idols just because it was easy to make and use but its impact on life was ignored completely, said P N Jayashankara, a 48-year-old teacher.
“The State Government must make a rule against painting idols and impose a hefty fine for non-compliance. It must be stopped at the idol-making level.
Why does the Government let ceramic-finish PoP idols come to the state from Mumbai. If other shopkeepers have painted idols and I don’t, my business suffers,” said K Nagalkshmi who sells the idols on Gandhi Bazaar Main Road.
