Vinayaka Nimajjanam should be ‘Eco-Friendly’ rather than ‘Turning Toxic’!

 

 Vinayaka Nimajjanam should be ‘Eco-Friendly’ rather than ‘Turning Toxic’!

 

 

Ganesh Chathurthi marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha and is celebrated with great pomp and show throughout the country. Ganesh-Utsav, which begins on Ganesha Chaturthi, culminates on Anant Chaturdashi. Hence Ganesh-Utsav is celebrated for 10 days in the month of Bhadrapada. The last day of festivity is known as Vinayaka Nimajjanam.

On the Vinayaka Nimajjanam day, Ganesha is given a grand farewell and the idols that were installed for the festival are carried to the nearby river, lake or sea front and immersed with a lot of devotion by chanting the slogan: "Ganpati bappa moriya". But after celebrating the festival with such enthusiasm, Lord Ganesha’s farewell is turning the water bodies’ toxic – is our procedure of Idol Worship and Nimajjanam right?

Here are some eco-friendly methods of Vinayaka Nimajjanam:-
Take a large size tub or bucket, fill it with water and immerse the idol of Shree Ganesh in the tub or the bucket. Let the idol dissolve completely and later this water can be poured in sacred plants like tulsi. One can reuse the same idol every year and immerse a betel nut instead to symbolically complete the ritual. Making idols out of naturally occurring materials like Clay or Sandalwood paste is always a better option, since the idols dissolve completely in water.

Immersing the idols in small, closed tanks than water bodies helps reduce the pollution. Encouraging the concept of ‘Green Ganesha’ & ‘Plant Ganesha’ will give us a cleaner greener future. We hope you would like our article. After all our devotion shouldn't depend upon the size of our idols, right? Be the change you want to see. Next year, let us all make a promise to ourselves to celebrate the festival in a pure manner, which is eco-friendly. Let's dirty our hands a little for a greener future!

- Priya Ganapathi