RAJAHMUNDRY: The East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh is seeing a new trend: more and more devotees opting for `eco-friendly' Ganesh idols.Ahead of the Vinayaka / Ganesh Chaturthi on September 1, the idols made from bio-degradable materials such as paper pulp and natural gum are selling well.Lakshmana Rao, a manufacturer, said that even the organisers of public festivals are favouring these eco-Ganesh' idols for installing in pandals."Traditionally, clay was used to make Ganesh idols. But over the years, plaster of paris (POP), which is lighter and cheaper, has become the favoured material. POP contains chemicals such as gypsum, sulphur, phosphorus, and magnesium.The dyes used to colour these idols contain mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead, and carbon. Plastic and thermocol accessories are used to decorate these idols. Such materials are not biodegradable, hence are toxic," he said.Ramkrishna, another idol manufacturer said, "Once there was no demand for eco-friendly Ganesh... now demand is increasing," and added that these idols were much cheaper than POP idols.In fact, now there is a shortage of eco-friendly idols in the market, said an idol-seller.
Comments
0 comment