A Ganesha pandal in Malad has created a 9.5-feet-tall idol made of paper, cardboard, and discarded shells of nuts and dryfruits.
The shells from pistachio, almond, cashew nut, macadamia, and walnut shells took four months to be glued and sculpted to create the image of the deity. The Shri Sai Darshan Mitra Mandal, an association of residents of buildings along Sainath Road, has been celebrating the festival for 70 years. In 2011, the group decided to ditch PoP idols and decorations that are bad for the environment.
Instead, they started using paper, metal, and other recyclable or naturally-decomposing material for their pandal. One year, they used metal coins to create an idol.
This year, they sculpted the idol from paper and cardboard. The surface was then decorated with shells of dry fruits and nuts collected from homes of members and from the market. "Every year, we come up with an unusual concept for an eco-friendly Ganesha," said Montu Ruia, a member of the group.
It took volunteers 45 days to create the sculpture that weighs around 110 kg. The idol will be immersed at Marve beach next week.
