Bhubaneswar: The city and its people are all geared up –and fully charged – to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. A visit to various pandals around the city on the eve of the festival has revealed how high the festive fervour is.
Different city-based Ganesh Puja clubs have prepared different versions of Ganesh idols and are trying to make the event big and grand.
The Bright Star Youth Association in Badagada area of Bhubaneswar is going to celebrate Ganesh Puja in a different way. This time the attraction will be 50ft-high Ganesh idol, the tallest Gajanan in the city.
Ranjit Karmi of the association said the idol has been made by artists from Cuttack. “We are making the idol out of bamboo and plaster of paris. This apart, we are hosting Odia film stars for performances. We will also felicitate personalities from the state for their social work. We have also decided to use herbal colours to make the idols. Last year, the idol we made was 35ft high. The total cost of making this idol is Rs 18 lakh,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Saheed Club of Sahid Nagar area has created a 25ft-high idol with 25 heads and 50 hands. The puja pandal is created with waste products such as plastic spoons. The association is going to felicitate social activists.
Similarly, another club from Sahid Nagar has prepared a 46ft Ganesh in Dashavatar. For creating this Ganesh, 50 artists had worked for the last one month, said the organizer.
This apart, miniature artist L Eshwar Rao has created miniature idols of the Lord to raise awareness about plastic and sound pollution.
Rao has created a ‘medha’ with discarded plastic bottles, cups and use-and -hrow pens. Through this he wants to give a message on how plastic can be reused to create beautiful items.
In the ‘medha’, he has placed clay idols of Lord Ganesh playing various traditional instruments. With this, Rao wants to draw attention to the fact how the Ganesh Chaturthi can be celebrated without the use of DJ that spreads sound pollution.
Meanwhile, for the Ganesh Puja celebration in the smart city, the Commissionerate Police have geared up for maintaining law and order.
Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahoo said, “UPD Bhubaneswar is gearing up for adequate police bandobast during the upcoming Ganesh Puja. Major puja is held under the Jatni Police Station limits. Hence, 12 platoons of force have been deployed there. Besides, special traffic arrangement has also been made for Jatni Ganesh Puja. For Bhubaneswar city also force and traffic arrangements have been made accordingly.”
He added, “Meetings being held with the various puja committees at the respective police station level. They have been advised not to violate the terms and conditions laid down in the licence issued to the puja mandaps. In case of violations, legal action will be taken.”
On the forceful collection of ‘chanda’ (puja donation), the DCP said, “All the concerned IICs have been directed in this regard to take legal action. Today itself, a case has been registered with the Khandagiri PS and one accused has been arrested.”
“In case of any forcible ‘chanda’ collection, we appeal to the general public to lodge a complaint so that action could be taken,” the Bhubaneswar DCP said.
Spreading awareness
Several organisations are creating awareness about eco-friendliness by making Tree Ganesha. It’s an eco-friendly concept in that Ganapati made of clay and organic colours will have seeds within the idol which will sprout and become trees later when the idol is left in the garden or river or canal side.
Sangeet Sahoo, a fan of this concept, said: “We are not only celebrating eco-friendliness but also planting a tree. We all know faith and belief is more important than the shape and size of the idol. Think of the future, respect Mother Nature while celebrating the festival.
Every year, thousands of people buy Ganapati idols for puja, celebrate the festival and then immerse them in the sea, lakes or rivers. What people forget is the plaster used in the idols and the chemical-based toxic colours used for decoration, pollute the water bodies, she said.