Welcoming Maa Durga the eco-friendly way!

Bengaluru: Taking a cue from the earlier eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi festivities, Bengaluru-based Bengalis have decided to celebrate this Durga Puja on the lines of environmental sustainability.

With more than 130 pandals in the city, the larger pandals see more than five thousand footfalls over the course of the celebrations each year. Most of the garbage generated is in the form of plastic utensils as the devotees flock in for the prasad. In addition to the disposable utensils, the idols themselves also play a big role in pollution.

This can be avoided by using utensils made of betel leaves and reusable steel utensils for larger preparations. It would cut down the pollution to a great extent, says Anuradha Govind, who is a part of Solid Waste Round Table, which works towards a greener and cleaner Bengaluru.

“It would definitely lead to a considerable reduction and since people are now making a conscious effort, the outcome should be even better. Most of the waste comes from food distribution and using natural products will take care of that.” Along with using natural products, waste segregation and frequent cleaning are a must, she adds.

“All the waste that is left over must be segregated. The organizing bodies are also pitching in. They have promised to provide additional arrangements for the waste to be cleaned frequently.”

The puja organizers in the city, who are making an eco-friendly debut this year, have gone the extra mile to make sure the environment isn’t harmed.

“Our budget is 36 lakhs this year and though it was more expensive to use leaves and biodegradable materials, we did everything to cut costs wherever possible so that we could go the green way,” says Tarun Banerjee, general secretary of Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Bengali Association.

The Puja is all about the victory of good over evil and one of the greatest evils today is environmental degradation, he adds.

“The city is lagging behind in terms of environmental sustainability and this is our opportunity to play our part. We get more than 35 thousand footfalls over four days and this is our contribution.”

Whitefield Cultural Association echoes similar emotions. “It is a celebration of the conquest of good over evil as harmony prevails. So why not harmony with the environment?” asks Sandeepan Chowdhury, one of the organizers.

The oldest Durga Puja organizers in the city, Bengalee Association, Bengaluru, are thrilled to make their 67th puja an environment-friendly one. “We have 43 food stalls, 38 promotional stalls and we serve food to around 6,000 people per day. This time we are using only leaves and have instructed the stalls to follow suit. This is the first time we are taking the eco-friendly route and it is not that difficult once we set our minds to it,” says Robin P Majumdar, General Secretary of the Association.