Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

Ganesha festival celebration: Demand for desi cow dung Ganesha idols grows

Ganesha festival celebration: Demand for desi cow dung Ganesha idols grows

To promote eco-friendly Ganesha idols, various organizations and civic bodies have been working every year and now a conscience among city residents seems to have increased.

As per the Jagruti Trust, NGO that promotes desi cow dung products is surprised as its sales compared to 2019 to 2021 has increased from 400 to 9000.

As per the president of the trust, Mahdava Hebbar the dung is sourced from farmers and artisans like Malavalli Pratap, Swapna, Ananda and others who own and promote desi cow breeds in south Karnataka.

Once sourced, it is processed and mixed with natural glue including rice starch and then the group of workers are given a task to design and make the idols. Once dried, the Ganesha is packed and sold.

The interesting thing about this Ganesha is, seeds of plant and food grains are mixed in making the idols.

Once immersed, it can also help aquatic life as fish can feed on seeds and if the idol is placed in a pot and when water is poured, the seed will sprout and plant growth is assured.

Initially, in 2019, only 400 idols were sold and what is surprising is that in 2020 during Covid 1st wave, 3,928 idols were sold. As the concept gained momentum, now 9000 idols have already been sold and 1000 more orders have been placed for tomorrow.

Not just idols, diyas, sambrani cups, rakhis and other items that can help cottage industry are also made out of desi dung.

BBMP bans idol immersion in lakes:

The BBMP on the other hand has banned the immersion of idols in the lakes and has announced the deployment of mobile tankers for devotees for the same. With Covid scare and restrictions, the public may use options like eco-friendly Ganesha idols for simple celebrations.