As part of “Punarjani” phase 3, a river clean up initiative by AYUDH Pune, awareness campaigns were conducted on significance of Ganesh Chaturthi and using eco-friendly Ganesh idols in order to prevent the pollution of rivers and water bodies.
This idea of spreading awareness initiated when the team had conducted clean up activities in Pavna river near the Thergaon boat club earlier this year and found thousands of broken Ganesh idols in the river which is really harmful for the eco system. So, they decided to kick off the public awareness campaign to have Eco-Friendly Ganesh idol which do not harm the rivers and water bodies.
Door to door campaigns were conducted by the young and vibrant AYUDH members in few societies in Pune. AYUDH team also visited schools to educate the students on the underlying reason behind celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, and the need to switch to eco– friendly Ganesh idols.
Students were requested to take this pledge: “I know that due to the actions of human beings our planet’s ecosystem is getting damaged every second. I believe that my thoughts and actions have the strength to bring a change and help preserve the natural beauty of our Earth. So I pledge to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi with eco-friendly Ganesh idols which do not harm the environment”.
As part of the campaign they reached out to shopkeepers in Pune as well requesting them to reduce the inflow of Plaster of Paris idols in the coming years in the shops, who welcomed the suggestion happily.
Initial step towards the event started with eco– friendly idols being placed at the Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Amrita Vidyalayam, Nigdi, from this year onwards, coordinated by AYUDH.
The Ayudhians organized Ganesh idol making workshop “My Cute Ganesha”. They were extremely happy to install their own handmade Ganesh idol at their homes this year and to set a good example to the world.
On the last day of the event, a session was also organised to discuss the symbolic meaning of the festival. The principal of Amrita Vidyalayam congratulated the members on their achievements over the last few years and motivated them for more activities. AYUDH team will organize the campaign during the Ganesh ‘Visarjan’ and ensure that no POP idols would immersed in the river this year. They are planning to do the similar efforts in a much bigger scale in the upcoming years also, setting the best example to the society and inspiring many to be the change.
