Chennai kids go green for Ganesh Chaturthi

Krishnagiri: A team of private school students have been visiting temples across Hosur in Krishnagiri district. The purpose of their visit is not so much for prayers, but meet people to gift each one of them a small clay Ganesha idol having a seed in its tummy, ahead of the ‘Vinayaka Chathurthi'’ festival this week.

“We visited more than five temples in two days and met as many as 100 people in each place. They were each gifted a small clay Ganesha having the seed of a tree in its belly,” G.Haridhra told reporters.

The ten-year-old girl Haridhra, a class five student of a private school in Hosur and the team leader said, "last year, we went in a rally across Hosur shouting slogans not to use idols of Lord Ganeshas that could pollute water bodies when they are immersed.

This festival season we thought of doing something best to create awareness about the eco-friendly Ganeshas if our water bodies need to be saved" Another ten-year-old student V.Anirudh butted in to say, "we after discussions planned to gift clay Ganeshas stuffed with the seed of a tree for people visiting the temples in our town." The boy continued: “with this, we thought of achieving two goals simultaneously; the first is to save the water bodies and another is to promote the tree planting habit among people having vacant space in their houses.”

According to them, the people who accepted their gift gifted will dissolve the Ganesha idols in a small quantity of water and remove the seed ball (from the idol before dissolving) to be planted in a vacant place near their house to grow as a tree.

“People welcome our idea, but not sure how many of them will plant the seeds to grow as trees and be with them forever,” the students said.

PIl seeks norms for installation, immersion of idols

An advocate has approached the Madras high court to direct the state government to frame guidelines for installation of Vinayakar Idols, followed by 10 days of pooja and celebrations and procession and immersion of such idols.

A division bench comprising Justices M.Sathyanarayanan and M.Sundar before whom the PIL filed by advocate M.Subash came up for hearing, posted it along with connected matters on August 23.

The bench said the matter in issue pertains to installation of Vinayakar Idols on August 25 and immersion of the same on September 3. It was submitted by the counsel for the petitioner that there were no rules or guidelines in place for installation and immersion of such idols. Most of the idols were made of plaster of paris and painted by chemical colours and in the event of immersion, there was threat to ecology and environment, the counsel added.