This Ganesh Chaturthi, the eco-friendly message gets loud and clear. Even as colourful Ganesha idols made of PoP (plaster of paris) occupy a significant space across the bazaars of the city, the clay Ganesha campaign is creating the right buzz with its steady steps. Thanks to numerous eco-friendly Ganesha workshops happening across the city with young boys and girls as participants, the city has come alive with environment-friendly and striking Ganesha idols. Here are a few glimpses from the workshops:
Easy-to-make Ganeshas
At Muralidhar’s art Studio at Paigah apartments in Begumpet, two teachers sit with a mould of clay. Oblivious to the world around them, they knead the clay, then slowly break it into small portions and create the shapes with their fingers. As artist Muralidhar observes the proceedings, Sujatha, one of the teachers, looks on with pride at her creation, a clay Ganesha.
Muralidhar manufactures the clay which has ingredients like multani matti, natural material and wood powder. “There are no toxins in this clay. It dilutes easily and if you put seeds in this, it will even sprout seeds,” he states. In fact, he recycles waste bottles, thermocol sheets and scrap material to create beautiful artefacts. He creates a clay Ganesha in 10 minutes, complete with a big stomach, trunk and ears.
Sessions at schools
Government schools have been buzzing with ‘learn-and-make-clay Ganesha’ sessions. Thanks to an initiative by Youth for Seva, this initiative has spread to 50 government schools and 30 slums, this year. Jayashree, a volunteer says it was mind-boggling to see the children get creative with their Ganeshas. “If one student made a small Ganesha, another one made a patla Ganesha. It was exciting to see students have masti and also learn to care for the environment,” she enthuses.
Manoj, a chemist and a volunteer says the interactive classes were exciting at government schools in Raj Bhavan and Errum Manzil. Rekha, another entrepreneur-cum-volunteer has been spreading the eco-friendly message even when she was residing in the US.
Go green mantra
Arunjyothi S. Lokhanday is a housewife-turned teacher spreading the message of ‘go green’ with her clay workshops. A traditional craftsperson, she is a familiar face that conducts workshops across the city in schools and places like Lamakaan, during festivals. Protecting the environment has been a passion and her clay workshops have been a hit with school students. “Children enjoy the session as they get to knead clay and make idols on their own and take it home. Parents will always like what their children make. They will receive these clay idols with happiness and do the pooja,” she says with a smile. In the sessions, the boys and girls created Ganeshas in different postures like sitting in a padmasan, standing majestically and Bal Ganeshas too.
