Hyderabad: City Ganesh pandals showcase a blend of tradition with creativity

Hyderabad: For this year’s festivities, Ganesh puja pandals, along with the usual religious touch, have come up with eco-friendly and creative versions of idols, blending devotion with environment sustainability and social messaging.

Few main attractions are – Ganesh idols made with straws, idols made of shells and also a few pandals have been decked up with themes such as ‘Saying no to drugs’, idols portraying prominent cricket players, etc. Another attraction this time is an idol made of ‘Dalda’ at Vanasthalipuram.

Like every year, even this year, the lanes and bylanes of Begum Bazaar were flooded with various eye-catching pandals, including one depicting the hanging of the accused in the recent Kolkata rape case. Another was set up in the theme of Digital India. The Ayodhya Ram Mandir-based theme pandal of Balapur Ganesh is attracting huge crowds.

Surya Prakash, the founder of Vigna Vinayaka Youth Association, Nacharam, said , “Every year we come with innovative ideas. Our main aim is to give back to society. This year, we have made a Ganesh idol with straws, and around 10,000 paper straws were used to make this idol. It weighs 20 kg and is 10 feet tall. After immersion, the paper straws will be collected, dried and sent for recycling. The entire decoration was done by the colony children and students, and the theme is attracting many people to visit the pandal and seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings.”

Sainath, the organiser of Ganesh Utsav Samithi at Ramgopalpet, has crafted a three-foot Ganesh idol using sago (Sabudana) which is attracting huge crowds.

“For the past 25 years, we have been organising Ganesh puja, and every year we come with the eco-friendly idol, a crafted idol with about one-and-half kg Sabudana.

The idol is hand-made and the hand and feet of the idol are plated with silver and gold,” he said.

Intending to conserve the environment, Shree Ganesh Friends Association in Old Ghasmandi has set up a Ganesh idol made of 5,000 sea shells, made of eco-friendly and natural materials.