With less than a month for Ganesh festival, in a bid to prevent the environment and make people unaware of the demerits of plaster of paris (PoP) Ganpati idols, Naval Shewale, a resident Airoli in Navi Mumbai, has started an initiative of eco-friendly Ganpati's made of paper and clay. Shewale has not limited his initiative to making eco-friendly Ganesh idols but also helps to create awareness and train sculptors and students on how to create them. He conducted a survey several years ago and founded that over 90 per cent of festival organizers use PoP Ganesh idols. One reason was also the paucity of sculptors who knew how to make eco-friendly idols. Speaking on the less sale of the eco-friendly Ganesh idols, Shewale said, "Most producers refused to make paper Ganpatis' because they couldn't afford them or did not have the proper knowledge to make it. Generally, 30 PoPGanesh idols are made every day, whereas mud has 10-12 and paper idols have 1-2 everyday production." Adding further Naval said, "PoP Ganpati's are really popular because they are light and mud Ganpatis' are heavy, but they fail to understand that in our tradition the Ganpati should flow and melt into the sea. The original tradition of Ganpati is gone and POP is not the way to celebrate Ganpati." In order to create more awareness, Shewale started initiatives like training programs at schools in rural areas in areas like Pen, which is near Panvel. It is the main hub where all the idols are gathered. He paired up with various non-government organizations (NGO) to train people in different places like Konkan and various interiors in Maharashtra. He said, "When we start educating children, not only they will much more understanding about the environment but also influence the present adults in doing the right thing." Statingt that POP Ganpatis affect marine wildlife and the environment, He quotes, "For our holy Ganesh festival, I don't think fishes should die."

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