Go Green this Ganeshotsav!

“OOOH! The earth is warming up!” an organization shouts.

“The polar bear is dyyyyyyying!” another organization shouts.

“The polar ice cap is melting!” says another.

Well, like it or not, they’re all right. The earth is warming up, the polar bears are dying and the ice caps are melting. And, like it or not, we are responsible for it all. Responsible for the filth in our rivers, the poison in the air and the industrial-strength plant drugs in the ground.

And only those responsible can bring about change.

So, it’s up to you to cool the earth down, to save the polar bears and freeze the ice caps. But, before you board a plane for the North Pole with a defibrillator and a fridge, maybe you could start simple with this Ganeshotsav.

Start with celebrating Ganeshotsav in a clean way. I mean, would the Elephant God want to be immortalized in that disgusting POP? Or would he rather be immortalized in simple clay, molded with loving hands instead of cold molds?

Would he rather be adorned with cheap plastic flowers, and thermocol or the real, vibrant, fragrant beautiful flowers?

We often forget in our haste to give Ganpati his best Ganeshotsav yet, that simplicity and simple designs are often the best and most beautiful ways of celebration. But more than that, our country has 1.5 billion people, out of which hundreds of millions celebrate Ganpati, so think about all those plastic decorations and thermocol that go to waste every single year, only to be replaced the next year.

Think about those millions of POP Ganpatis sitting, now still, at the bottom of the oceans and rivers in which they were immersed. And it is not only the POP, it’s the paint. All the colors used on the idols are filled with chemicals, which typically are not meant to be mixed in water bodies, for the fear of mass poisoning of said water body.

As a result of this mixing of chemicals and the water getting polluted with POP bits and bobs as the water erodes the idols, our oceans and rivers are becoming far less habitable for life. Reefs go extinct in the blink of an eye, the fish can’t breathe and their gills can no longer successfully harvest the oxygen from the water.

On the one hand, we have this method of Ganeshotsav celebration. Harmful and poisonous.

Then on the other, we have clay idols and organic paint that mix seamlessly with the water and go back to where they came from. They are more than just eco-friendly. They are eco-bestfriendly.

So, here’s some food for thought.

No matter what you do, you will have fun. No doubts. But, will you make the poor fish pay the price of your having fun? Or will you do the honorable thing, and have fun but just make sure no one has to pay the price, least of all, the poor fish who don’t understand why they’re dying.

We at Goel Ganga Group do our best to celebrate festivals in the most eco-friendly way and so this year is no exception!

Do come visit any of our sites with your family.

Together let's make this Ganeshotsav , Pure Delight!