Panaji, Aug 30 (IANS): A saffron group has borrowed a tinge of green this year to drive home the message of a clean and environment friendly Ganesh Chaturthi in Goa with idols made of organic clay.

Green organisations have found themselves on the same page as the rightwing group Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS). Both are keen on saving Goa's rivers from being choked by the debris of cheap plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols, which have already been banned in Goa.

"The interests of Lord Ganesh are best served by carving him to life from eco-friendly material. We use organic clay, which dissolves easily in water and does not harm the riverbed or choke springs," said Rohidas Prabhudessai, a spokesperson for HJS.

The social organisation is promoting eco-friendly idols for the festival dedicated to the elephant god on Thursday.
Mumbai and Pune are known for grand celebration of the festival on its streets and colonies, while in Goa, Ganesh idols are mostly installed and worshipped in homes before they are ceremonially offered to the water bodies and rivers criss-crossing the state.

The HJS, which has been around for around two years, is also using the 'divine card' to ensure that PoP idols and props, already banned by the Goa government, are kept at bay this year.

"We have to use sattvic (pure) idols, which awakens 'bhav' (spiritual emotion) of the devotees," Rohidas said, adding that he has already sold several hundred idols and there were orders for more.

"These idols of Sree Ganesh awaken bhav of the devotee, give an experience of divine consciousness, purify the atmosphere and nullify the distress of evil energies," said Rohidas.

The argument against clay idols is that they are expensive and heavy. But Rohidas disagrees.

"Idols are available in three sizes, nine inches, 13 inches and two feet and are priced at Rs.450, Rs.800 and Rs.3,000 respectively. This is a small cost to save the environment. The difference between a PoP idol of nine inches and a clay idol of the same size is only Rs.200," Rohidas said.

Green organisations like Mission Green have even made provisions to dispose of nirmalya -- floral offerings to Lord Ganesha -- in an eco-friendly manner. They are usually dumped into water bodies in plastic bags.

"We will be placing clay nirmalya bins at idol immersion sites so that all the flowers and other organic waste can be collected and processed into compost," said Arati Das, a volunteer with Mission Green.

"Otherwise people just pack flowers, leaves and other material into plastic bags and throw them into rivers. That does not help. The nirmalya bins help to segregate the organic matter which we later turn into compost," Das said, adding that the municipal corporation had tied up with them in this green endeavour.