Mumbai has already started gearing up for one of its most awaited festivals, 'Ganesh Chaturthi'. Many NGOs have been promoting the need for celebrating the festival in an eco-friendly manner. With increasing environmental awareness more and more people are joining the eco-friendly bandwagon by bringing home Green Ganesha. The use of chemical colours and Plaster of Paris (PoP) for making Ganesha idols comes with a lot of environmental hazards. If you want to join the bandwagon and want to go green, here is the list of places in Mumbai to book your Green Ganesha.
Dattadri Kothur – For Tree Ganesha
The name itself defines the concept of the idols. 'Tree Ganesha' is a brainchild of Dattadri Kothur who makes idols with neem seeds inserted in them. So during immersion, devotees just need to place the idol in a pot with soil and pour water on it. Within minutes, you can see the idols dissolve in it. The idols are available in four sizes – 9, 12, 15 and 18 inches. In addition, Tree Ganesha also organises workshop and demos in which people are made aware of the concept of Tree Ganesha, benefits of eco-friendly Ganesha, harmful effects of Plaster of Paris, tips, and tricks to identify eco-friendly Ganesha and more. This year, Tree Ganesha has come up with awards for eco-friendly Ganesha to raise awareness among the people. They have also launched new branches Jalgaon, Bengaluru, and Nagpur.
To book: 99203 21435
eCoexist – For Cowdung Ganesha
Veena Wataney, Founder of eCoexist, with eco-Ganesha |
eCoexist, the brainchild of Veena Wataney, brings a stunning range of biodegradable Ganesha idols made using natural clay, paper mache, cow dung, and wood. The idols are painted with natural pigments such as turmeric, spinach, red earth, and multani maati. The idols can easily be immersed at homes in a bucket of water. To decorate the idols, they also have a number of eco-friendly accessories made from fabric, paper, and rice husk. The cow dung idols are available in 2.5 inches and 5.5 inches and cost Rs 180 and 350 respectively.
To book: 95610 08225
Sandeep Gajakosh - For Paper Mache Ganesha
Paper Mache idols by Sandeep Gajakosh
Sandeep Gajakosh makes paper mache idols. The idols are made using crushed paper and are available up to 15 inches. It takes just 30 minutes for the idol to dissolve completely in water. Prathamesh Eco-Friendly Sanstha has four centres in Mumbai - Andheri, Dadar, Sea Wood and Kurla. One can even ask them for home delivery. The idols are available from six inches to 15 feet. This year Sandeep is focusing on Sarvajanik Ganesha. Talking about the thought, he says, “There are lot of organisations that make small idols. This year my focus is on sarvajanik Ganeshas, sarvajanik mandals end up creating more pollution and harming the environment. Our 15-feet Ganesha is light-weight and can easily be transported by five to six people.” Sandeep has already exported a nine-foot idol to Mauritius and 7 foot to the US.
To book: 9892174244
Green Practices – For Clay Ganesha
Founded by Mana Shah in 2010, Green Practices makes paper mache and clay Ganeshas. The idols are available from 13 inches to two feet and are coloured in water colours. The idols take 30 minutes to two hours to dissolve in water. They deliver all over India.
To book: 90826 64356/ 99302 24454
Paper Ganesh Dot Com – For Lightweight Paper Ganesha
Paper Ganesha idols by Rohit Vaste
Made with Paper and clay, the Ganesha Idols by Paper Ganesha are lightweight and stronger than clay idols. Rohit Vaste, Founder of Paper Ganesh says, “Paper Ganeshas are very strong and has no wastage of paper. Even if you do the immersion at home, after immersion you can recover the entire paper and dry it off and put it into recycling so that it comes back as a new paper.” If you are planning to book your eco-Ganesha and wants to have a look, then you can visit their ongoing exhibition in Andheri’s Crystal Mall.
To book: 98208 28804/ 99699 81920
