While the State government, NGOs, and environmental activists are encouraging people to purchase eco-friendly Ganeshas for the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival, idol makers and sellers say that people still prefer buying coloured Ganeshas for celebrations at home and Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganeshas for pandal celebrations.

visited some of the places in the city, including Pottery Town, Mavalli, and Seshadripuram, where Ganesha idols have been prepared, displayed, and sold in large numbers for more than five decades.

Shashikumar, a fourth-generation member of the Kumbara community involved in selling Ganesha idols at Pottery Town, said, “Earlier, our family used to prepare Ganesha idols, but due to space constraints as well as a lack of availability of clay and skilled labour, I now buy idols from makers in Hosur. While I understand that PoP idols are harmful to the environment, many customers prefer buying them, and at the same time, idol makers invest crores in making them.”

He added, “If the government has to create awareness and stop PoP idols from coming into the market, then they must start creating awareness as early as November, almost immediately after the festival. It is at this time that makers invest money in materials and labour to make idols. Creating awareness at the last minute doesn’t help, as these idols would have already entered the market.”

Mr. Shashikumar also said that one cannot make idols as huge as six to 12 feet using clay. “They turn out to be heavy, making them difficult to lift, and structuring them is a challenge. Hence, all large idols are made of PoP and paper.”

Making PoP idols is easy

Mr. Shashikumar further said that making PoP idols is easier than making idols from clay. He explained, “The materials used in PoP help the idols mould easily with designs and shapes, and they dry within six hours. The colours can also be sprayed immediately. Meanwhile, clay idols have to be prepared three months in advance so that they dry well to be painted later.”

Meanwhile, Govardhan, another member of the Kumbara community, said, “There are fewer families who prefer to buy handmade, eco-friendly idols from our shops compared to those who order the moulded and coloured ones. There are only 200 such families traditionally buying clay idols from my shop. If I make a larger number of eco-friendly idols, I will suffer a loss. Hence, there are more coloured idols than handmade and plain ones.”

Mr. Govardhan added, “Sourcing clay is another challenge for idol makers. Earlier, it was available to us in and around the city lakes. With the number of lakes reduced, there is no soil, and we are forced to buy it from Bagalur Road, Hoskote, etc. A small load of clay costs ₹12,000.”

When asked about the type of colours used in painting Ganesha idols, he said, “These are not harmful ones. Earlier, we used oil paint, but that was poisonous to water bodies. Now, we use water paint, which is chemical-free.”

However, Nandeesh from Bettahalsuru, who is exclusively into making eco-friendly idols, said, “Idol makers claim that these water paints are not harmful. But they do contain chemicals and leave residue in water. In order to protect water bodies from pollution, I do my bit by making plain clay idols. The prices for plain ones are supposed to be higher in comparison to the coloured ones; however, the prices for our idols range from ₹50 to ₹500. I limit myself to making only 1.5-foot idols.”

Special Operation Team to prevent sale of PoP idols

Bengaluru: Minister for Forest, Ecology, and Environment Ramalinga Reddy has announced a Special Operation Team to prevent the manufacturing and sale of PoP Ganesha idols that harm the environment. They will be assisted by the local police and other departments, he noted.

He also said that the team inspected 214 shops and warehouses in Shivamogga, Tumakuru, Bagalkot, Haveri, Gadag, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, and Vijayanagara districts, where they were being manufactured without following the guidelines, and 1,283 such idols were confiscated. He urged the general public to purchase eco-friendly idols for the festival and save lakes.