ganesha

The nightmare of our lakes is fast approaching. Yes, this is the time of year that every lake that has water in it would actually be wishing it was dry enough to turn away devotees of Lord Ganesha. Every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, thousands of idols that do not dissolve/ with hazardous paint and paraphenalia (not environmentally friendly) find their way to lakes and immersion tanks, creating tons of garbage after the festival.   This year, in order to encourage people to use clay Ganesha idols, MAPSAS will be doing two events at Kaikondarahalli Lake on Sunday, 13th…

Ganesha Chaturthi is still several weeks away (in mid-September), but sales of Ganesha idols have already begun. If you are accustomed to one of those colourful idols of the lord that more often than not end up polluting our lakes and waterbodies, this year you can do it differently. Look out for an ecofriendly Ganesha - one that will dissolve easily in water, and without toxic paints and non-recyclable paraphernalia.   There are many places in Bangalore from where eco-Ganeshas can be ordered and bought. You can look up old collated lists on these links - 2013, 2014.  Ashwini Prasad,…

I was on my way to a temple in Dodda Mavalli because it was Gowri Ganesh and I had been told it would be a day when devotees would come both to the Maramman temple and the Ashwath katte next to it. I was just curious to see what the rituals were like on this day. The autorickshaw driver abruptly stopped at the end of a narrow lane much before we had reached the temple. In front of us, there was an open space between small houses and there were tempos parked there. Small idols of Ganesha were being carried…

My Bhumi, a Bangalore-based NGO, in conjunction with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is working to promote an eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year. Supported by Friends of Lakes, RR Nagar Cares, One Bangalore Lakes and other groups and individuals, the focus is to reach out to children through their schools, and educate them about the connection between eco-friendly Ganesha idols and lakes in Bangalore.    Children are being encouraged to get their parents to buy unpainted clay idols. If the brown idols cost more than the colourful ones they are used to, then they can go in for…

More than a month and a half have gone since the Ganesha festival, but the idols and trash at the Kalyani tank at Kaikondrahali Lake still make for a sorry sight. There are also the flowers and leaves which were collected in big trash bags. The Kalyani at Kaikondrahalli on Oct 8th. Pic: Rajesh Dubey. This is a negligence of duty from the garbage contractor. Lake monitoring committee members have been calling them continuously for weeks now. Each time, we are told that it will be cleared within a week. And weeks come and weeks go, the stuff remains. The…

Some of the happenings about Bangalore's lakes this past month. Click the links to read the full stories and reports. Ganesha immersions  The days of Ganesh Chaturthi are usually high tension for lake lovers in Bangalore. A couple of weeks before the festival there were reports of how BBMP was gearing up, given that 3 lakh idols were expected to be immersed. There was a lot of publicity to persuade people to get eco-Ganeshas and encourage immersions in mobile tanks. Worshippers though seem to have had other ideas to please God. While there is no accurate record of the actual number of Ganeshas sold or…

Just in case you are bored with Bangalore Ganeshas, here's a good offer for you:If you walk down Jaya Chamarendra Road (J C Road), you can find a variety of images:Including this one, which I have not seen before, which is one of Ganesha as Balaji!I wonder if we will have some Olympian Ganeshas this time...must take another walk down J C Road!  ⊕

Ganesh Chathurthi marks the start of the Hindu festive season of the year. How about starting it on an eco-friendly note? Ganesh idol made out of clay. Pic: ecoexist Every year, the rivers and lakes get polluted because of the chemicals used in making Ganesha idols. In order to be sympathetic towards nature, a large number of people are moving towards eco-friendly Ganesha idols that are made of clay. Ecoexist is a group that encourages the concept of eco-friendly products and you can book your eco-friendly, hand-sculpted clay ganesha from their website - www.e-coexist.com. The clay Ganesh idols are biodegradable.…

Ganesha Chaturthi is just round the corner and instead of scouring the city or the internet for eco-friendly clay Ganeshas (there's no way you could possibly be thinking of using any other type), read through these details to find out where you can pick up one or better still - make one – with hardly any effort.  Youth in the city seem to have taken a more proactive stance this year with regard to the Ganesha Chaturthi festival and its environmental impact. Two such groups -  To Make A Difference (TMAD) and Youth for Seva - are volunteering their time to minimise environmental…