Eco-friendly Ganesha idols made by artist Umapathy and a team of rural women
Vinayagar Chaturthi celebrations this year are low-key all over the country including Pondicherry due to Covid-19 regulations. Normally at this time of the year, artist and school teacher Umapathy would have been teaching students at the Selliamedu Government High School. But this year with schools being shut, the artist with the help of some rural women and youth, created more than 10 Ganesha idols made of biodegradable materials such as coconut, corn husk, vetiver etc near the school compound.
Umapathy is known for his wizardry in creating crafts out of any waste material. But for the last month, he has been training a small team of rural women in making artistic handmade products from waste. The free training is part of an income generation initiative called ‘Vannam’ by Deshna Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Pondicherry.
Turning waste into wealth
This project was started to help find income-generating opportunities for transgenders and village women who may have lost their jobs during the Covid period or are earning lesser wages than they usually do: Amaladevi, Deshna Foundation
Due to Covid, the project has started small with three women who have been attending the training with Umapathy for a month. “As our NGO works with these communities we were able to identify women who may hidden artistic talent that they themselves may not realise but which they display in kolam or some form of handiwork”
Green Ganesha :Vetiver, Corn, Cotton
In recent years , government and environmental organisations have appealed to people to make Ganesh Chaturthi more environmentally friendly as most idols are made with plaster of plastic with a heavy coat of metallic paints that are not bio-degradable.
More people are now switching to idols made of clay and other biodegradable materials for poojas at home. But artist Umapathy took the ‘Green Ganesha’ concept to a whole new level making 2-3 feet high idols with waste materials from coconut trees, palmyra trees, cotton trees, corn husks, sesame(ellu) and even one made with vetiver.
“We used various materials that are usually thrown away making these completely bio-degradable. These eco-friendly Ganesha idols were all done in a one-week period. I am hopeful that these women would be able to sell their work in exhibition stalls in the future.”
Deshna is also identifying online platforms for the women to sell their crafts. They have been making lampshades carved out of bottle gourds (in the photo above) and other crafts.
You can contact Deshna Foundation at 91 88708 26001 to know more or support the project.
