The clay from the Gangetic plain has made its way from Bengal to the temple city of Tirupati where it is used for an eco-friendly initiative.
The clay from Ganga is not only revered as auspicious, but also known for firm grip and smooth finish. Hence it is widely used in the making of idols of Lord Vinayaka for the chaturthi.
Ingredients like concrete, Plaster of Paris, artificial colours, chemicals or oil base that pollute water bodies are not being used. The clay from the Gangetic plains forms one-fifth of the ingredients. “This year, we have made 1,000 idols for Hyderabad and 400 each for Warangal and Vijayawada. As a small beginning, we are preparing only 125 idols to enter the Tirupati market,” says Payyavula Rajasekhar, who has employed 10 workers from Kolkata to prepare the idols. While eco champions advocate the use of clay idols, it is confined more to homes, as the mammoth idols installed at street corners are prone to breakage when only clay is used. “That is why we use hay and clay and restrict to a maximum weight of 70 kg,” says Mr. Rajasekhar, who is a practising doctor and also runs generic medical shops. Even as local potters declined to make colourless clay idols, fearing lack of patronage from the public, he got the idols sold through his nature-friendly message.
Price range
The idols measuring 6 ft and 3 ft are sold at Rs.6,000 and Rs.2,500 respectively, with a jute bag and ‘khadi’ clothes as complements. A weaver family in Telangana worked for eight months to prepare the khadi clothes meant for draping the idol. “The idea is to spread nature-friendly way of observing the festival by creating livelihood for artisans and weavers. These idols are easy to prepare, carry, install and dispose of,” he says.
Mr. Rajasekhar is ready to provide free training to potters if the government asked him for it.
