Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated at home on Friday and as usual parents bought clay idol
of Ganesh and after the worship the idol was immersed in a tub of water in the
evening. For last 10 years we have been immersing the idol in same way rather
dropping at sea or river (what many others do), and the muddy water is later
used for watering plants.
Actually the clay idols should be
immersed in rivers, where those days there used to be flood in rivers during
this time and the running water wash away the sands on river bed to let water
flow easily into the sea instead of slow and steady progress which rise up the groundwater
table. The dissolving clay idols control the flow of water by blocking and turning
it harder and the dry clay idols suck the water at the floor of river help increasing
the groundwater level.
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| The clay idol put into a bucket of water to dissolve |
Our ancestors
had a reason to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and the practice of dissolving clay
idols was beneficial then, but what we dissolve these days only pollute the water
bodies. The clay was transformed into various toxic substances to give colors
and different shapes to Ganesha. These days all rivers run into the state are dry
but the reasonable practice, which supposed to take a break turned into a ritual
where the choice of immerse becomes anything and most of the times it was sea or
lakes.
For those unaware:
Ganesh
Chaturthi is a grand festival in India, devoted to Ganesha – a prime deity
worshiped by Hindus. It is celebrated as ten-day festival in northern
states of India and is usually celebrated privately at home as well in public,
and is organised by local youth groups mostly where they collect money from
public to form pandals (temporary shelters) to install Ganesha idols.
