Ganesha , the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, who is believed by all his devotees and worshiped in every way. This colorful festival is celebrated with a tradition of joy where no cast and no religion matters as Lokmanya Tilak recognized the wide appeal of the deity Ganesha as "the god for everybody". The sight of the crowded streets lit up beautifully where night also feels like day, the different Ganesh images and the happy people is an amazing spectacle. People believe He is the giver of fortune and can help to avoid natural calamities.
But He will only be able to help us to avoid natural calamities if we people take an initiative to get a change.One of the major environmental impact during Ganesh Festival is due to idols made of PLASTER OF PARIS which is immersed in lakes, rivers and sea. During the process dissolution plaster releases toxic elements into the water body.So if we think over it, on the final day of procession we immerse infinite Ganpati idols which increases the level of acidity in the water and leads to so many disasters and diseases which we all cannot think of.By this I don't at all mean to say, to stop worshiping idols but definitely use natural clay. Though plaster is easy to mold and is less expensive but not at the cost of destroying nature.
This definitely leads to an argument that so many other things need to be controlled, why target religious aspects? But I feel if we get some change for the better and can be conveyed through religion which will be ideal for people to understand and nurture this thought.
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