She says, “I hope everybody follows eco-friendly celebrations. We should see to it that our festivities don’t harm anyone else. I have always been saying one should get rid of POP murtis (idols made of plaster of Paris). Instead, people should look for murtis made of shadu maati, which is earthen clay and not harmful to Mother Nature. I also feel that only these eco-friendly idols must be allowed for visarjan in to the sea.”
Amrita began an initiative Eco Bappa Morya in 2019 to spread the awareness. She says, “Ganesh Chaturthi was earlier a homely celebration wherein the idol of Ganesh Ji was made from clay gathered from the compound of one’s home and the visarjan was done in the well within the compound. This was symbolic of – ‘What comes from earth goes back to earth’.”
She further adds, “I feel the sarvajanik mahotsav has turned into a competition of whose idol is better etc. and hence the towering size of the idols and the frills and fancies of orchestra and loud music have risen new challenges. I believe the size of your devotion is not measured by the size of the idol you pray to. I hope to continue every possible effort in the future to promote an environmental friendly Ganesh Chaturthi celebration.”
