Thane Women Professionals Hand-Sculpt Eco-Friendly Ganesha Idols in Shrirang Society

A group of women professionals from the Shrirang Society area in Thane has sculpted eco-friendly Lord Ganesha idols from natural mud as part of an intensive 10-to-12-day workshop ahead of Ganeshotsav. The participants, who include doctors, pathologists, stage artists, and authors, gathered to create sustainable idols to promote greener festival celebrations.

The workshop was led and guided by veteran artisan Aditi Date, who has been handcrafting her own Ganpati idols for the past 28 years. Under Date's direction, the participants hand-sculpted the idols entirely from natural mud, later painting them and adding embellishments with colourful stone detailing.

Environmental stewardship was established as a core requirement of the initiative from the beginning. As a mandatory prerequisite for joining the workshop, each participant pledged to conduct the idol immersion, or visarjan, strictly at home rather than using local water bodies.

By ensuring the idols dissolve in domestic containers, the initiative prevents contamination of nearby lakes and ponds. The dissolved clay left behind after home immersion will be collected and recycled for domestic gardening or stored for use in future idol sculpting, substantially curbing festival-related waste.

In addition to protecting the local ecology, the initiative was designed to reduce urban congestion during the festive period. Conducting ceremonies and immersions at home rather than joining large public processions helps curb street crowding and minimizes noise pollution across the city of Thane.