Ganesha idols that grow into plants a hit in city

Hate immersing Ganesha idols and polluting lakes? You can now buy environment-friendly idols that will grow into vegetable or flower plants and keep them home.

Many residents are buying such Ganesha idols online.

Vishnu Kiran, of Banashankari, was really happy to see a tomato plant come out of a clay idol he bought last year. "I had bought the idol in Hyderabad last year and was happy I was not contributing to the lake pollution. It's very sad to see the Hussain Sagar Lake days after the festival. The lake gets really polluted. The government spends no less than Rs 300 crore only on cleaning the lake," he said.

For Pavani Priyadarshini, of Kathriguppe, Ganesha visarjan (send-off) has always been an emotional issue. "As a child, I always used to cry when the Ganesha idol was taken away for immersion. But when I learnt about idols that turn into plants, I was excited and booked one for myself," she said. "I can't wait to see what comes out of it in the days to come."

Plan A Plant, a Hyderabad-based company that sells indoor plants and gardening equipment online, started selling eco-friendly Ganesha idols in 2017 and immediately hit a jackpot. And surprise, surprise, almost 20% of its customers were from Bengaluru.

The company sold around 15,000 idols across the country last year. The response from Bengalureans prompted the company to open an outlet in the city, said Divya, a manager.

The response has been great this year, too, according to Sriraghu, the company's coordinator for Bengaluru. It has already received 3,000 bookings and expects at least 30% of sales from Bengaluru alone. Each idol sells for Rs 399. Shipping charges are extra.