Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: Here's how you can celebrate festival in eco-friendly way, maintaining social distancing

The holy festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year with great fervour in the country with thousands of devotees thronging temples and 'Ganeshotsav pandals' to offer their prayers. After 10 days of festivities, finally, the devotees bid adieu to the elephant-god for the year by immersing it in water bodies.

However, the festival this year is being celebrated in a much more restricted way amidst the global pandemic situation. The social distancing norms will prevent people to celebrate the festival in the congregation.

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With the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi just around the corner, here are some ideas to make the celebration eco-friendly and socially-distant.

1. Opt for clay Ganesha idol made from traditional clay are 100 per cent biodegradable and have the properties of dissolving into the water on immersion. As immersing idols in water bodies is not allowed this time, these idols can simply be immersed in a tub full of water inside the house as they dissolve in the water in some time.

2. Go for small, simple Ganesha idol Though the festival brings in a lot of excitement among the devotees and many of them wish to go for grand or at least middle-sized idols, but the process of bidding adieu to big idols is tough this year. A small idol can be immersed in water at home.

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3. Keep your Ganesha with you, opt for tree Ganesha idols The concept of tree Ganesha idols was started by Mumbai-based artisan Dattadri Kothur a few years back but it is a well-known concept in the present day.

These idols are made of natural colours, fertilisers, red soil and have a seed within them, which grows into a plant. So instead of immersing the idol, it can be placed into a pot and can be watered every day.

4. DIY your own Ganesha idol This option is for the ones that have that artistic streak within them and can turn around a Ganesha idol out of recycled paper, organic paint, organic glue and clay.

A simple way is to create a dough using clay, organic glue and paper pieces and then mould it into an idol, which can later be painted with the organic paint. All of the four materials used for making the idol are safe for the environment and hence, the idol can be easily immersed in water and then the water can be discarded in the backyard without harming the backyard plants.

While the festival has arrived at a time of uncertainty, it is very important that people do not let the pandemic dampen the spirit of one of the biggest festivals in the country. The above-mentioned ways are completely social-distance friendly and also eco-friendly.

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