When Indian artist Dattadri Kothur saw the pollution caused by an annual Hindu tradition of immersing elaborately decorated idols of the elephant-headed god Ganesha into the sea, he decided to do something about it.
The 30-year-old has come up with an environmentally friendly alternative that is to make its debut at this year’s festival in the western city of Mumbai — and is already proving a huge hit.
Kothur’s “Tree Ganesha” idols are made entirely of organic materials that disintegrate when they get wet and are designed to be watered like a plant rather than immersed in the sea.
Photo: AFP
Once they are dampened, seeds hidden inside them germinate, creating a lasting memento of the idol.
“After witnessing large-scale water pollution and broken idol parts strewn across Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty sea front, I decided to create an organic alternative,” Kothur told reporters.
“The response to Tree Ganesha shows people are aware of environmental pollution and want [a] long-term sustainable solution,” he added.
Kothur has fulfilled nearly 500 orders and he and his team are hard at work producing another 3,000.
The 11-day celebration that honors Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, is celebrated with idol worship, music and dancing across India.
Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, traditionally hosts some of the largest gatherings. Millions of devotees gather every September for the ritual immersion of the statues, some 7m tall, in the Arabian Sea.
In recent years, activists have sought to raise awareness of the environmental damage that the immersion causes.
Traditional statues are made from clay or plaster and dipped in a white coating before being painted. They disintegrate very slowly, releasing harmful chemicals as they do so.
“With my idols, Ganesha lives on in the form of plants and goes back to nature,” Kothur said.
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