Ganesh Chaturthi 2021 – Online darshan and sustainable innovations

As much as Ganesh Chaturthi is an important festival, it is essential that the celebrations in 2021 be conducted by keeping in mind the Covid-19 safety protocols. Even with intimate celebrations at home, with extended family members or friends, it is important to wear double masks, maintain social distance and sanitize yours hands every 20 minutes. Most temples and pandals across India (including the famous Lalbaugcha Raja) are giving devotees the option of online ritual and darshan services during Ganesh Chaturthi 2021.

The third wave of the pandemic is round the corner (some say, it’s already here). So, instead of stepping outside your home to visit temples, it’s safer to opt for online darshan. Friends and family staying far from each other can display their decorations and celebrations through social media and video calls.

Two sustainable solutions during Ganesh Chaturthi 2021

Advocate Tripti Gaikwad turns discarded idols into recycled objects while maintaining their sanctity. She started Sampurnam Seva Foundation with the goal of recycling every single particle of religious artifacts that are discarded from households while ensuring that the religious sentiments of devotees are not hurt while doing so.

Sampurnam Seva Foundation has a public Whatsapp group where they put up all the information of their drop-off locations and the details of the tempos for the collection drive. Once the collection is done, a small religious ceremony is conducted to thank the deities and pay respect to the ancestors.

All the waste is segregated and sent for recycling. The wood and ply from the frames are used to make pretty bird nests while the paper sent to be converted into handmade paper or put into recycled paper reams. The metal is melted to create moulds, cutlery etc. Ganesh and other idols made of POP are turned into durable toys that are donated to children and pots for plants. Till now the foundation has recycled more than 10,000 frames and idols in the past two years. Currently they are functional in Pune, Mumbai and Nashik.

Ramky Enviro distributed eco-friendly Ganesh idols across various Gated Communities in Hyderabad in an attempt to minimize environmental damage. The clay idols are packaged in a bio-degradable coconut pit with seeds in them. Immersion can be performed at home, in a flower pot, giving birth to a new plant. The company had a canter going around town from September 3 to 9 for the purpose.

Says Goutham Reddy, Managing Director & CEO of REEL, “The pandemic has reinforced the urgency to protect and preserve the environment like never before. We look forward to performing this auspicious practice with our ‘Green Heroes’ while we move a step towards sustainability & eco-friendly methods of living & celebrating.”