Neil Nitin Mukesh on the need to be environment- friendly and why this festival is special to him
As told to Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; September 26, 2015)


As a child, I was intrigued by this majestic deity who waltzed into our hearts so elegantly, became the centre of undivided attention, was pampered by the choicest of delicacies and bejewelled with gems. He was the reason for the smiles and positive vibes that became a common fixture for 10-days family reunions that happened once a year.

But all good things come to an end, and then came the part that I dreaded the most! Ganesh Visarjan. The thought of bidding farewell to my Bappa was heartbreaking, but the more appalling sentiment was the public drama behind the spiritual send-off. I was always told that Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated to create a sense of community, but with every passing year I speculated why my favourite festival had become an insignia of commercialisation.

Growing up, I witnessed many such visarjans with intoxicated ruffians dancing incessantly to item numbers at ear-splitting decibels, their minds clearly devoid of any praise for Bappa, and I often pondered that if Bappa actually looked back at this callous procession, I’m sure he must feel quite crestfallen.

Commercialization of religious festivals has a positive influence in nurturing communal sense but when the celebration ends and the environment suffers, the masses need to re-evaluate their outlook. It’s important to adapt our beliefs and traditions to the current environmental scenario and aim to conserve what is left.

The original concept of Ganesha Visarjan itself is eco-friendly as it depicts moksha and how everything eventually dissolves in nature. As per tradition, only clay idols of the Lord should be worshipped and immersed in water. But today, like all other things, Ganesha idols too have been commercialized.

Isn’t it strange that the Lord, who was born from mud and the sweat of his mother, who is born from the soil and should return to the soil, is now held responsible for pollution? Our devotion should not be blind towards our responsibility towards Mother Nature in our zeal to uphold a man-made idol. For every action, there is a reaction and embracing eco-friendly Ganpati is taking that step towards an evolved society that is deeply rooted in cultivation and preservation.

For years, this issue has been tap-danced around to protect religious sentiment. But the urgency of protecting the environment should be given importance. People must understand that to abuse the divine bequest of nature is in no way a means of paying obeisance to a deity. As an adherent of dna’s eco-Ganesha intiative, I encourage everyone to use smaller idols, undertake visarjans in buckets of water at home and opt for idols made of shadu maati, which dissolve in water in no time.

After all the size of our devotion shouldn’t depend upon the size of our idols, right? Be the change you want to see. Next year, let’s all pledge to return to our roots and celebrate the festival in a pure manner, that was also eco-friendly. Let’s dirty our hands a little for a cleaner future!