City Youth & School Students Get Hands-On Training For Making Eco-Friendly Ganpati Idols At Workshop Organised By FPJ & BMC

Mumbai: Around 50 city youth and school students gathered on Wednesday for a hands-on, eco-friendly Ganesha idol-making workshop ahead of the upcoming Ganeshotsav festivities. The initiative was jointly organized by The Free Press Journal, in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), marking a key preliminary event under the media house’s ongoing green campaign.

Workshop Marks Seventh Edition Of FPJ Eco Ganesha Mayor’s Award Initiative

The interactive session formed a prelude to the seventh edition of the ‘FPJ Eco Ganesha Mayor’s Award’. The annual initiative recognizes and honours families across Mumbai who host the best eco-friendly Ganpati idols in their homes, driving a city-wide movement toward environmentally conscious festivities.

The workshop, organised at the Free Press House, aimed to promote sustainable celebrations by encouraging households to transition from traditional PoP idols to biodegradable alternatives. Expert sculptors from the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Architecture led the session, offering step-by-step guidance to the young participants on shaping natural shaalu mati (clay) into intricate idols.

Sculptors And NGOs Join Hands For Green Celebration Campaign

The experts included Prashant Iphte, Vaibhav More, Mayuresh Andhyal, Maheshwari Dhore, Siddharth Gaikwad and Kiran Kesarkar. Members from various non-governmental organisations, including Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust and Ghaswala Vision Foundation, also attended the event.

Participants learned core clay-modeling techniques, from preparing the base to shaping the body and adding facial details. Mentors highlighted the importance of using eco-friendly elements, such as natural water-based pigments instead of synthetic dyes and demonstrated how clay idols dissolve harmlessly in bucket water at home, preventing the pollution of Mumbai’s natural water bodies.

Actors Vaishnavi Andhale, Siddharth Menon and Tejas Raut attended the workshop as guests and appreciated the initiative. “I am a believer and I celebrate all the festivals but I believe that our celebration should not harm anybody or anything. We are witnessing the situation of the environment. Everyone is talking about it but the issue is that we just talk and put stories on social media. This is the time when we actually change our actions,” said Andhale.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/