Thane citizens go green, immerse idols in tubs, vessels at home

18th September, 2018

THANE: Most devouts hin Thane chose to immerse their Ganesh idols in tubs and big vessels at home instead of artificial ponds or natural water bodies.

Environment-conscious devotees have voluntarily decided to perform the immersion ceremony in their balconies or verandas of their houses, giving a green twist to Ganesh celebrations.

From filling a tub full of water, reusing water for gardening to performing noiseless and pollution-less immersion, Thaneites are leaving no stone unturned in celebrating the 10-day festival the green way.

Padmaja Pangam, resident of Siddhachal complex, said, “It has been more than 10 years that we are immersing our idols at home. In the evening after the usual chanting of prayers and hymns, the entire family gathers and we perform the ceremony.Firstly, we pick up the idol and carry it around the house. This symbolizes the last journey of the God for this year. We then put a mixture of curd on the idol and then carry him to the veranda wherein a bowl full of water is kept. We dip the replica a few times and then wipe the idol and re-use it next year.”

While some households perform the ceremony at an individual level, many are even using this technique for immersion of community Ganesh idols in their respective societies.

Vishal Shinde, a resident of Everest World Complex at Kolshet, said, “Looking at the condition of the Thane creek, we feel that we are polluting our resources. So, this year we thought of celebrating the festival the eco-friendly way. We had arranged for two immersion tanks. There was a separate one for idols made of Plaster of Paris and those of clay. We involved children to spread the message and the event was a grand success."

 

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com