Students from St Joseph's College in Bangalore are taking to the streets to spread the message of an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav. The initiative comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his periodical radio address "Mann Ki Baat," urged that environmentally-friendly idols — those made with mud and not plaster-of-Paris — be used for Ganesh Chaturthi.
The college's outreach coordinator, Brother Philip, told International Business Times, India, that this is the second year the students of the institution have undertaken this exercise. "We are trying to spread the message that people should use Ganesha idols made of mud and other natural materials. The idols should also have natural or environmentally-friendly paint," he said.
"Otherwise, idols made of plaster of Paris or plastic, or painted with synthetic dyes — like those made in China — are liable to pollute the environment. We are trying to spread awareness against them," he said.
This seems totally in line with what Modi had said during "Mann Ki Baat." He had asked people to use idols made of clay from ponds for both Ganeshotsav and Durga Puja.
The three-day awareness programme the college has undertaken involves 65 students and is spread over three days, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 31. As part of the programme, the students will stand at 18 of the busiest junctions in Bangalore — six on each day — with placards that spread the message of a greener Ganeshotsav.
The outreach programme by St Joseph's College is helping the participating students in another ways as well. "These are BSc students with PCM [Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics] who are required to do 60 hours of community work — 20 hours for each year of their undergraduate course — as mandated by the University Grants Commission," Brother Philip told IBTimes India.
The college's outreach department will also conduct awareness programmes in the Shanthinagar area of Bangalore for three days, beginning Sept. 5, on how the students there can make their Ganeshotsav greener.
