It was construed as a “divine message” from the celestial world to preserve the environment, as several ‘Ganeshas’ thronged the streets, urging people to use clay idols for the coming Vinayaka Chaturthi.
In a novel move to spread the message, students of Sai Sree High School in the city's western suburbs of Perur took out a procession donning the mask of the elephant-headed God. Carrying clay idols, the students went around Janardhan Nagar, Haripuram Colony, Vidyanagar and Nalanda Nagar areas, with placards stating ‘ Matti Vigrahalanu Poojiddam – Paryavarananni Kapadutham ’ (Let us pray to clay idols and save the environment). They cited it as the only solution to prevent the village tanks, wells and ponds from getting contaminated.
“The village atmosphere, replete with lush green paddy fields and unbeatable cool breeze, will get disturbed if we continue to dump Ganesh idols made of synthetic colours and Plaster of Paris into our water bodies,” said the school’s correspondent B. Kuppaiah, explaining the motive behind the rally. He attributed the growing illnesses on the countryside to the indiscriminate usage of chemicals in all products.
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The students also distributed 200 small clay idols to residents of the colonies, urging them to use them during the festival. Principal K. Nagaraja suggested to the residents not to install mammoth PoP idols at the street corners and instead, advised them to have small clay idols in every household.