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MUMBAI, INDIA, September 12, 2004: Keen on reducing water pollution due to immersion of Ganesh icons in sea/river waters, a city-based religious trust has embarked on a novel project to spread awareness about “environment-friendly” Ganesh icon. Instead of icons made of Plaster of Paris, which offer longevity and convenience but are the very material contributing to the pollution – the group has put forth an idea of icons made of “water-soluble” paper pulp to draw attention of the masses towards the major cause. City-based Shri Satguru Aniruddha Upasana Trust, which runs several projects of direct relevance to society, has taken the initiative albeit on an experimental basis to bring home a chemical free lord Ganesh icon. The organization has a 13-point program guidelines for which have been drawn by their guru Bapu. “One successful program of this 13-point scheme is recycling of paper. We already make various items like toys and alphabet blocks from “papier mache.” So this year when Bapu asked us to try out something on similar lines for the Ganesh icon, we came out with an icon made entirely from paper pulp,” Vilas Muley of the trust said. The traditional icons are made of shaduchi mati (clay). But, because the icons made of it are not commercially viable, the murtikaars (icon-makers) these days use Plaster of Paris, which is cheap and easy to manufacture in bulk, he said, adding, “Plaster of Paris is the main culprit.”

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