more-in Ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi, residents of the city are making efforts to make the festival eco-friendly. Government departments, voluntary organisations, schools, colleges and individuals are finding new ways to avoid further environmental degradation in the name of festivities. Over the years, the number of people opting for a ‘green’ festival has increased, demonstrating scaled up awareness. Local NGOs, in collaboration with like-minded organisations and individuals, have been doing their bit to ensure a pollution-free celebration. Among such green warriors are volunteers of the Vivekananda Youth Trust. Young volunteers of this organisation, drawn from various local colleges in and around Vijayawada, are moulding clay carted in from the Polavaram canal at Kothurutadepalli into tiny Ganesha idols used in pujas. In a three-day exercise that ended on Sunday, the volunteers brought a tractor-load of clay and unloaded it at three different points - the SCRM College in Gudlavalleru mandal, the GEV Projects on the Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road and at the Freedom Fighters’ hall near the Bandar Locks here. Volunteers at these centres have been making clay Ganpathis for last three days. Volunteers at the SCRM College and at the GEV Projects made 1,500 idols each while their counterparts at the Freedom Fighters’ hall made 2,000 images. Saplings from idols A lot of care has gone into the making of these idols. Volunteers have mixed in the clay ‘Navadhanya’ (nine seeds) of yava (barley), shamaka (little millet), pigeon pea, mung, chickpea, rice, seasame, black gram and horse gram, soaked overnight. “Imagine your joy when seeds germinate from Ganesha idols and turn into saplings. One doesn’t have to immerse them in water, but leave them either on a farm or on a canal bund so that they get water,” said Youth Trust president Krishna Prasanna Vaitla. To avoid use of plastic covers, volunteers have also made paper bags to carry these idols. Pointing that Ganesh puja was about ushering in knowledge and prosperity, Mr. Vaitla said natural ingredients like patri (sacred leaves), haldi (turmeric), flowers, varieties of fruits like mango, banana, apple, orange, grapes, pear and peach and coconut were used for the puja. “Why should we take away the essence of the festival by bringing in something as harmful as the plaster of paris,” he said. The Trust, in association with the Abhaya Care Foundation and the GEV Projects, will distribute clay Ganeshas to households in Gudlavalleru mandal besides setting up distribution points on the Besant Road, in Kanuru and Ashok Nagar.

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