In the wake of saving environment, the Santacruz Public Navratri festival Mandal has come up with unique idea to worship Goddess Durga. The Mandal has created an idol of Goddess Durga of 13 feet with the paper pulp. This is the first ever time when any Public Navratri Mandal has crated idol in such a way that it will dissolve in the sea and not harm the environment.
Many Ganapati Mandals takes an initiative to make eco-friendly lord Ganesh idol but this is the first time in Mumbai that any Navratri Mandal has created an eco-friendly Goddess Durga idol.
Post the Ganapati immersion, many idols made with Plaster of Paris, did not get dissolve in the sea and thus it pollutes the water of the sea. Therefore, to celebrate the tradition in an eco-friendly way and also to give ‘Save Environment’ message the Santacruz Public Navratri Mandal has come up with this unique concept of making idol with paper pulp. After the immersion of the Durga idol made with Paper pulp, it will completely dissolve in the water and thus we can preserve the tradition and the environment both, said the President of Santacruz Navratri Mandal Naval Shevale.
This is the fifth year of the Santacruz Public Navratri Festival Mandal. Since the first year of the Mandal, it was their wish to make such an eco-friendly idol of Goddess Durga. So we were in search of a person who can make idol with ‘Shadu’ soil. Meanwhile we got to know about ‘Bal Gopal Mitra Mandal’ and ‘Mumbaicha Peshwa’ in Santacruz who make Ganesh idols with paper pulp. When we requested them to make such idol for Goddess Durga, they said they have made paper pulp idol of Ganapati but never made of Goddess Durga, but they got agreed to make one for us, said Shevale.
This Durga idol is very light in weight as it is made with the tissue paper and can easily get dissolve in artificial ponds of Municipal Corporation. Though the making of such idol is costly but in the wake of saving environment, it is necessary to make such eco-friendly idols by reducing other cost of decoration and other expenses, Shevale added.
