Pune, September 10, 2019: As part of "Punarjani" phase 3, a river clean up initiative by AYUDH Pune, various awareness campaigns were conducted to mark Ganesh Chaturthi including the usage of eco-friendly Ganesh idols to prevent the pollution of rivers and water bodies.
The idea of spreading awareness came up when the team conducted cleanup activities in Pavna River near the Thergaon boat club earlier this year and found thousands of broken Ganesh idols in the river which is harmful for the eco system. Keeping in line with this, they decided to kick off a public awareness campaign of Eco-Friendly Ganesh idols which do not harm the rivers and water bodies.
To kick start the campaign, door to door visits were conducted by AYUDH members in few societies in Pune. The team also visited schools to educate the students on the underlying reason behind celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, and the need to switch to eco- friendly Ganesh idols. Students were requested to take the following pledge: "I know that due to the actions of human beings our planet’s ecosystem is getting damaged every second. I believe that my thoughts and actions have the strength to bring a change and help preserve the natural beauty of our Earth. So I pledge to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi with eco-friendly Ganesh idols which do not harm the environment".
Shopkeepers and idol makers in Pune were also reached out to with a request to reduce the inflow of Plaster of Paris idols in the coming years in the shops. The suggestions were happily welcomed. Eco- friendly idols were placed at the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Amrita Vidyalayam, Nigdi, from this year. A Ganesh idol making workshop “My Cute Ganesha" was organized and members of Ayudh were happy to install their own handmade Ganesh idol at their homes this year and to set a good example to the world.
The initiative concluded with an interactive session to discuss the symbolic meaning of the festival. The principal of Amrita Vidyalayam (name) congratulated the members on their achievements over the last few years and motivated them for more activities.
AYUDH team will organize the campaign during the Ganesh ‘Visarjan’ and ensure that no Plaster of Paris idols would be immersed in the river this year. They are planning to do the similar efforts in a much bigger scale in the upcoming years also, setting the best example to the society and inspiring many to be the change.
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