Ganeshotsav with solar power, eco-friendly traditions: a few mandals show the way

Shah adds that the mandal will have a charging station, solar lamps, a solar fountain and a solar cooker, among others.

“Solar is a big source of green energy, so this is a huge project. There are solar panels on the Narmada, so our message to the administration is also that we could think of a canal from Khadakwasala to Camp that could have solar panels,” says Shah. Pralhad Bhau Thorat is the president of mandal.

Incidentally, India ranks fourth globally in renewable energy installed capacity, and holds the third place in solar power capacity, according to the Government of India.

As the city begins its greatest festival of the year, amid concerns about rising pollution, many Ganesh mandals are showing the way forward.

Sanjeev Javale, president of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati Trust, the historical first sarvajanik Ganpati, says that the idol of the deity was made in 1892 from paper pulp, sawdust and binder.

“The first idol, itself, was eco-friendly,” he says.

For 134 years, the “green” idol has decided how the mandal marks its celebrations. “Whatever music we play are bhakti songs. The level of noise is deliberately kept very moderate. This ensures that the mandal does not add to the sound pollution,” says Javale.

The Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati idol shows the god in an aggressive stance, slaying a demon.

The symbol is nationalistic from the time that freedom fighters were trying to bring down the British.

Today, the God could just as well be signalling the need to defeat polluters and climate deniers.

“Until recent times, we had a rule about not using gulal. At present, due to the enthusiasm of the young generation, we have allowed a little gulal during the celebration. We are careful that this practice does not lead to air pollution,” says Javale.

While many homes and mandals use shaadu maati idols, the Navjyot Mitra Mandal Trust in Yerwada has gone a step ahead by distributing shaadu maati idols in the neighbourhood to more than 50 families. “We have a permanent idol that we worship the year around, as well as a small idol that we place during Ganeshotsav. The latter is immersed during visarjan. We switched to shaadu maati a few years ago because we did not like how Plaster of Paris idols impact water bodies,” says Amit Jadhav of the mandal.

Jadhav adds that people in the locality also receive a bucket and a cloth with their shaadu maati Ganpati.

This way, they can immerse the idol at home, sieve it and bring back the soil for recycling by the organisation Punaravartan.

“Shaadu maati comes from Gujarat and is a limited resource. We should be careful about using it, hence we collect the soil and give it for recycling,” says Jadhav.

For those still buying their idols, a word of advice – Shaad maati Ganpati must be handled with care and devotion for a fall can damage it. “But, we treat Ganpati idols like our children anyway,” he adds.