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Vidya Balan on celebrating Ganpati and why it’s so important to celebrate the festival the eco-Ganesha way 
As told to Upala KBR (DNA; September 21, 2015)

My mom makes absolutely yummy kozhukattai (modaks), made from rice flour, with a filling of grated coconut and jaggery. Devotees offer this dish to Lord Ganesh every Ganesh Chaturthi (or Vinayaka Chaturthi) and even monthly Chaturthi days. Even on the auspicious Varalakshmi Vratham, we make this yummy kozhukattai as naivedyam dish. We can make many different varieties of kozhukattai, but thengai poorna kozhukattai is the traditional naivedyam.

Where I grew up (in Chembur), we had a community Ganpati and as kids, we’d rush to finish our homework, so we attend the evening aarti followed by various programmes like fancy dress and games like housie, etc. The highlight was the visarjan which was both exciting and sad at the same time. Even today, I can’t stop dancing when I hear the Nashik dhol. I love it.

It is important and certainly everyone’s responsibility to preserve the environment for generations to come. We’ve been getting eco-friendly Ganpatis in the past few years and we also do the visarjan in a bucket, which is I think a healthier option environmentally.

My first year at my Juhu house, there were several Ganpati idols on Juhu beach even the day after visarjan. Last year, there were fewer idols, so I am guessing more people are opting for the bucket or tank option.

Kudos to dna for taking up this initiative!