Number of Ways To Celebrate Eco-friendly Ganesha Festival

Ganesh Festival is one of the main festivals celebrated blissfully and joyfully all over India. Lord Ganesha elephant headed god is believed to be God of power and wisdom. In India, people worship Ganesh before initiating any work.  Ganesh Festival is birthday of Lord Ganesh and beautifully decorated idols of different sizes are made for sale by specially skilled artisans. Ganesh festival or Ganesh Chaturthi starts with the installation of these Ganesh statues in colorfully decorated temporary structures in every locality.

The festival is also the time for cultural activities like singing and theater performances, orchestra and community activities. On final day of celebration, Ganesh idol is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, and fanfare to be immersed in a river. This is the ritual known as Ganesh Visarjan. All join in this final procession shouting “Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar ya” (means O lord Ganesha, come again early next year).

Everybody loves to decorate Ganesh idols beautifully and celebrate Ganesh festival with great zeal. But the most serious impact of the Ganesh festival on environment is due to the immersion of idols. The immersion of idols made out of chemical materials causes significant water pollution. The use of thermocol and plastic in pandals as well as for garlands and other decorations increases non biodegradable waste. The toxic waste from these materials kills plant and animal life in the water bodies. Celebrating eco-friendly Ganesh festival enables you to celebrate festival grandly without harming environment and other living beings. Following are some useful tips for celebrating eco-friendly Ganesh festival.

• Use Eco Friendly Ganesh idol: As going green is the new mantra, say no to idols made of chemical, Plaster of paris, clay, plastic, thermocol (polystyrene). Opt for natural, biodegradable material so that after immersions (visarjan) it does not pollute water and surroundings. Natural products can be used to make the idol such as unbaked clay, coconut, paint with natural colours, etc.

• Limit Size and number of Ganesh Idols in your community: Bigger size idols take much space. The height of the Ganesh idol should be limited maximum to 5 feet or 1.5 meters. Rather than keeping the idol for exhibition, the rituals of the festival should be performed properly. Huge idols also consume more clay or POP for its making, adding more waste to environment. It is difficult for immersion also as it takes time for dissolving in water and sometimes it does not dissolve completely hurting people’s sentiments. It also leads to traffic congestion and difficult to transport.
• Save Energy: Switch on decorative lights during the “aarti” or “pooja” and evenings only when necessary. Replace traditional bulbs such as incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFL).Use energy efficient CFL tubes instead of bulbs to save electricity. Coloured papers can also be wrapped on bulbs to give more colours rather than buying expensive bulbs.
• • Natural colors for Rangoli: Use natural biodegradable colours for making Rangoli such as turmeric, henna, mehendi, rice powder, gulaal. Such colours do not pose a threat to human health and do not affect the environment also.
  • Eco friendly Decoration: In festivals people generally use plastic and non-degradable material. These materials add more danger to our environment when dumped as garbage later. You can use instead paper flowers or natural flowers for decoration. Natural materials like cloth, wood, paper can be used to make dolls, puppets, and bells to decorate around Ganpati idol. Make beautiful paper decoration instead of thermocol, which is also not degradable.
  • Ban Plastic: Offerings, Prasad, fruits which are carried to pandals are thrown here and there as garbage. Nobody takes care of that and it pollutes the environment. So Say No to Plastic Bags. Instead cloth bags can be encouraged which is very comfortable to carry, biodegradable and can be reused later. Discourage the use of Plastic Bags for disposing “Nirmalya” and other offerings and these should be disposed in a paper bag. Use natural plates like banana leaves instead of plastic plates for distributing Prasad. Disposable, non biodegradable plates, plastic sheets etc affect the environment.
  • Refrain from Noise Pollution: Avoid playing loud music which might create disturbance to others. Mridangam, Tabla and such low sound instruments can be used instead. Loudspeakers can create problem to hospitals, old age homes, and educational institutes. Speakers and microphones should be played between 6am and 10pm and people should abide by the rules. Avoid bursting firecrackers. Firecrackers will also affect the hearing of small children as well as aged people of the community. There is no rule as such to burst crackers. Firecrackers emit fumes which are harmful to health. They pose a threat to patients and public health.
  • Limit number of public pandals: More pandals means more noise more pollution and more dumped garbage. Instead of celebrating the same festivals at different pandals, make a huge pandal in the community and all the community members and people from neighborhoods can come and jointly celebrate the festival which will also reduce the number of immersions at the later stage.
  • Artificial immersion tank: The same water body used for immersion will be used for irrigation or drinking purpose which might cause health hazards later. Use can use artificial tank or artificial immersion tank instead of natural water source like river, lake or pond.
  • Awareness on Green Ganesh or Eco-friendly Ganesh: Understand the concept of the Ganesh festival in its true sense and its effects on our Mother Nature. More and more eco friendly ways should be developed and awareness should be spread among people. Prizes should be distributed to communities who promote eco friendly ways of celebrating festivals which will encourage others. Posters and videos can be shown among apartments sharing knowledge about eco friendly ways. Awareness drives and workshops should be conducted.
  • Compost pit for organic material: Collect separately after the festivals, the offerings of flowers, garlands often called “Nirmalya” and other organic material and put them in a community built compost pit. This compost material can be used to fertilize your garden. If you must immerse them, wrap them in newspapers instead of polythene bags as paper is biodegradable. Dried flowers can be used later to make natural colours or decorative paper for gifts.
  • Symbolic immersion: Instead of immersing Ganesh idol in a water body, it can be symbolically immersed at home. Some people use a metal or stone idol and symbolically immerse this in a bucket of water, or even carry it in procession to the sea, hold it under the water, and then bring it back home for the next year. A betel nut in place of the actual idol can be immersed in a bucket of water. Another way of immersion can be sprinkling a few drops of water on the idol and then wiping it off and keeping it for next year’s use.
  • 3Rs-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: There are three key factors when thinking about how to recycle – The 3 R’s. The three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – all help to cut down on the amount of waste we throw away. Reduce is best way to manage waste. Reuse products in different ways. Recycling the Ganesh festival flowers and festival leftovers is another way to manage waste. Make natural color from flowers such as marigold and other festival leftovers can be used to make compost.
  • Ban Ganesha made of Plaster of Paris or hazardous chemicals: Ensure this Ganesh Festival, your apartment community or neighborhoods buy Green Ganesha and ensure you support or ban Plaster of Paris (PoP) Idols or idols made of hazardous chemical. These materials add up more damage to the environment. Spread awareness on the use of eco ganesha and drawbacks of hazardous chemicals and its effects on environment.
  • Form a group or team for celebrating Eco Friendly Ganesh festival in your neighborhood: Spread awareness by forming a group or a team in your community. Teach your younger generation and others the good effects of celebrating eco friendly Ganesh Festival.
  • • Natural idols not only help environment but maintain Vedic significance of Lord Ganesh. Return to the traditional use of natural clay icons and immerse the icon in a bucket of water or a tank specially made for the purpose.
    • Ensure that the dyes used to color the idols are organic or vegetable in origin.
    • Ban on the immersion of plaster icons into lakes, rivers and the sea.
    • You can use idol of stone or metal for ganesh festival and symbolically immerse this in a bucket of water, or even carry it in procession to the sea, hold it under the water, and then bring it back home. Use the same idol for next year on ganesh Chaturthi.
    • Devotees bring fruits and flowers as offering for lord ganesh on the festival day. Polythene bags containing offerings, is usually immersed with the idols. Therefore, Say no to Polythene or plastic on this ganesh festival.
    • Banning or reducing the use of loudspeakers will go a long way in reducing noise pollution.
    • Encourage people to immerse the icons in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.
    • Offer incentives or prize for Residents or communities celebrating eco-friendly ganesh festival.
    • If one is using a POP idol, simply sprinkling a few drops of water on it as a symbolic immersion and donating the idol to be recycled for the following year.
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  • You can celebrate your Ganesha festival without affecting or disturbing environment. Eco-friendly Ganesha festival enables you to celebrate festival grandly without harming environment and other living beings. Enjoy Ganesha festivali but also respect the nature. Encourage people to use environmentally safe idols and decoration. Collect offerings of flowers and other organic material and put them in a compost pit for fertilizing your garden.
  
  
  
  
  Acknowledgement:
  http://www.commonfloor.com/articles/15-ways-to-celebrate-eco-friendly-ganesh-festival-6237.html
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Sevankur – A Grooming Ground for Youngsters

Sevankur – A Grooming Ground for Youngsters

Jalgaon: Aug 20,

Imagine starting the new life with the most inspiring and exciting changes you’ve ever made to improve it.

Imagine having the energy and confidence to boldly make challenging changes in your life that improve your relationships and career.

Imagine yourself making a powerful difference in the lives of others--leading them, through your example, to a happier way of living.

Now imagine that you're not just daydreaming, but rather actively involved in making this your reality and that I'm right there with you making sure that you have the knowledge, support and motivation to succeed.

Prayas Amravati and Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon had organized Sevankur Youth Motivation Camp at Gandhi Teerth, Jain Hills, Jalgaon during 17 to 20 Aug.  Dr. Bhanwarlalji Jain (Padmashree Awardee), Nileema Mishra (Ramon Magsaysay Awardee), Laxman Gole (a noted Gandhian Promoter), Pramod Kulkarni (Corporate Trainer), Yajurvendra Mahajan (Deepstambh), Rajesh Thombre (socially accepted surgeon), Uday Mahajan, Abdul Bhai, Satish More, and others were distinguished guest who have blessed the camp and serve the participants with their sharing of thoughts and activities in developing society and individual. With a serene atmosphere and indomitable spirit of “Do it” had deeply impacted individuals to chalk out their dream of Action. The camp also inspired youth by the august presence of Ranjeet Joshi (a veteran, awardee of 150 medals in paraolympic games). Sevankur, a platform for the youth, who want to live differently & want to make difference in others life too had contributed more than twenties Ideal and active personel e.g Santosh Garje, Sadanand Tayade, Dr. Prashant Kuchankar, Dr. Priyadarsh Ture, Mahesh Pawar, Devendra Ganvir, Rushikesh Khilare, Avinash Marshetwar, Alhad Kashikar, Ashwin Kandarkar, Dr. Digambar Nirmale, Mukesh Bhavsar, Manas Gajre, Manoj & Devyani Govindwar, Mohd. Shadab (a Blind Volunteer), Sarika Gaikwad, Utkarsha Metkar, Nidhi Kamdar, etc.

There are many youths (say about 10 % at primary level & 1 % at deeper level) who have this kind of seedlings in their hearts & want to lead their life in the spirit of the SEVANKUR. If the seedlings don’t get proper nurturing, it dies away. The dreams of many of them get evaporated with passage of time, due to lack of such platform at present. SEVANKUR is meant for this to nurture this ANKUR of SEVA in their hearts.

In our busy lives, we do not spend much time looking into our lives. We are bothered by the things that happen in our lives. So we need times where we forget everything else and come aside to spend time in Sevankur Camp with the Change Makers. This camp was organized for this purpose.

For the past five years, I've held the intention and had the dream of helping as many people as I possibly could make real and inspiring changes in their quality of life. That was the purpose behind my life and many thousands of people succeeded by following the real life stories shared in SEVANKUR Camp.

I'm happy and energized by each and every success story. But yet, over the years, I've been painfully aware that not everyone succeeds even when they have access to the right information. Making changes is sometimes difficult, even complex, and without the direct, one-on-one support of a caring and knowledgeable coach and mentor, continual setbacks can stand in the way of success.

Realizing this, it's been my hope and dream to have a motivation center where I could work directly with people who have the desire and longing to change but need some extra support, encouragement and expert insight to make it happen. And now, I'm very happy and excited to say that this dream has become a reality! – A sevankur insights and support make my dreams happens.

Sevankur Youth Motivation Camp was exclusively dedicated to helping young students make breakthrough transformations in most every area of their life. In Sevankur Camp Young students could expect to pay Rs.300 and for elder & Professional one Rs. 500 but if one couldn’t manage to pay for, don’t worry you too can get access to sevankur.

At this Sevankur Camp, all Members were delighted as VIP’s (with Seven Star facilities available by Jain) and Sevankur accept responsibility for their success--our goal is to help you achieve your goal and all the mentors were prepared with the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to help everyone succeed. Sevankur have the best, most result-producing sessions of life. All the members had interacted with each other and develop customized Goal plans and help educate and time by time, carved the Dream Action Plan.

Each session came with a capsule of Plans on our attitudinal behavioural Change,  Spiritual and Intellectual cofficient, and we enjoyed positive results by the time I  finished 4-day sevankur Camp, I had not only enjoyed incredible results, and I get the exposure of knowledge and experience to continue transformation on my own.

I have found Sevankur Motivational Camp as one of the most empowering and rewarding experience of my life. Yes, I worked hard almost toiled day and night, the all day workouts we did together which help me truly understand what result-producing, high-intensity thinking, caring and sharing is all about. I discovered a level of inner strength that i may not have ever before recognized was available to me. And my course in identifying lifetime intention and purpose requires some deep soul searching but if i want to live a truly meaningful life that inspires others and makes a difference, this is the work that has to be done.

Make no mistake, this is a challenging course. But, I think you'll be surprised at how satisfying, fun and uplifting the whole experience is. I am missing you my friends at Sevankur Camp.

            I am looking forward to helping Sevankur Ideals in their project to achieve the meaningful and inspiring life that I’ve always dreamed of!!