Celebrate a green 'habba'!

Well it’s that time of the year again, when families come together to welcome their favourite Lord Ganesha. With Ganesha Chaturthi being celebrated today, there are a million things to do. Firstly, the house needs to look like it is ready for a celebration, and festive décor and a quick spruce up is an absolute must.

How about going for an eco-friendly look this year? We started off Ugadi on a green note, didn’t we? Now, we need to take the proclivity further. Let’s vow to turn our home into a green, environmentally-friendly one, without compromising on the quality and look.

Keep it simple

There is an subtle richness in simplicity. Very often we miss out on this point and assume that décor statements can be made only with expensive, store-bought items. This time around, let us take a minimalist and sustainable approach to the festive décor.

Earlier, festival decorations meant colourful rangolis, eye-catching flower and leaf decorations and all things handmade. Festivals were occasions to showcase our talents, rather than reaching out for store-bought adornments. Traditional and eco-friendly décor can add a touch of simplicity and elegance to the festivities.

Let us go back to our roots and find ways to make nature-friendly choices. The sophistication of simple and handmade décor items will stand out and speak volumes.

Take a vow

To start with, take a vow to refuse all plastic and synthetic decorative items, which may harm your environment. Remember your home is a green one, and Ganesha is going to endorse that soon! Avoid clay idols too, as Ganesha will not be happy to see clean water bodies clogged with pollutants. Instead bring out your wooden, silver or brass idols of Ganesha; even a painting or a calendar will suffice.

To keep your family tradition alive, you can make the customary idol with dough or mud instead, as these can be quickly immersed in a little water at home.

Waste not, want not

Have you noticed there are so many things around the house, which can be repurposed? Upcycling everyday utilities into décor items can minimise your festive purchases and expenditure. Take a stock of these, and with a touch of magic from your hands these can be transformed into beautiful décor pieces.

Employ the “reduce, reuse and upcycle” mantra. Make your forgotten paintings and handcrafted items the norm of the season. Put the artists of the house to work. Soon enough handmade papers, flowers, vegetables and many other items will emerge as wonderfully attractive display pieces. The house will get a new look in no time — all with minimal expenditure and maximum brownie points from the carbon foot prints department!

Here are a few ideas to kick-start the green Ganesha project:

Roll up newspapers and magazines into tight sticks. Glue them together to make cylindrical or rectangular shapes. Place thick cardboards at the top and bottom and voila! You have a sturdy stand. Cover this with bright silks, and use this as the mantapa for the idol. These simple stands can also hold vases, lamps, flowers and fruits.

Give a touch of ingenuity to glass bottles by converting them into stands, lamp shades, lovely vases or elegant holders.

Have you tried making a fruit chime? Well, it may not jingle in the breeze, but will surely add an element of fun to the festivities. Hang small fruits to doorways and surprise the guests with a fruity treat as you take them around on a house tour.

Convert your colourful silks and chiffons into curtains, drapes, cascades, and cushion covers. With a few pleats and tucks, they can be transformed into wall art too.

Peacock feathers, discarded CDs and glass trinkets can turn into fancy dreamcatchers and chimes. You can even make garlands out of shells, beads and old bangles. Hang them around with painted motifs for an unique appearance.

Create a mesh out of light wood (bamboo or balsam) reapers. Hang fruits, maize and flowers from this. Place it above the mantapa to form a beautiful roof for Ganesha.

Bring out all the traditional brass or silver lamps and lamp stands, and place them around the house as standalone pieces. Light some of them, while the others can be used as a potpourri of fragrant flowers. This traditional lighting will add a rustic touch to the rooms, while the fragrances will give a divine aura.

Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil to infusers. You can replace artificial room fresheners with these and fill the house with an exotic natural fragrances. You can even hang small potlis or pouches of sweet, aromatic spices or a handful of fresh sweet-marjoram (dhavanam).

Rangolis enliven a space and give a festive feel to the house. For some novelty, try water rangolis created in a large decorative brass urli or a thali and make it the focal point.

Extend the Earth Hour and go for oil lamps, diyas and candles in different shapes and sizes. The diffused lighting will exude an old-world charm.

Make torans with shells, flowers, leaves, bamboo reeds and wooden beads. Fill small pots and vessels of brass, terracotta or silver with grains, sand or pebbles; use these to hold banana fronds and small leafy branches for a touch of greenery.

Festivals are a perfect time to make resolutions. Extend your green efforts and invest in a home composter to turn the waste into manure for the garden. By his next visit, Ganesha will be pleased to play around in the lush greenery of your garden. A happy and green habba to you all!