Brahmapur: In a unique display of creativity with a focus on environment, a miniature artist in Odisha’s Brahmapur has crafted eco-friendly miniature idols of Lord Ganesh as Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated across the state on Monday.
In a bid to spread the message to celebrate festivals in an eco-friendly manner, 43-year-old Satya Moharana has crafted the Ganesh idols using turmeric, sandalwood powder and sindoor (vermillion).
The specially crafted creations aim at making people aware of the need to shun idols made with plaster of Paris (PoP), chemical colours and single use of plastic, Moharana said.
With a small quantity of clay for making idols, the artist, who happens to be a businessman, used turmeric, sandalwood and vermillion to colour these. There was no chemical colour used on these he said. The height of idols ranges from 4 cm to 4.5 cm, while their width ranged from 2.5 cm to 3.5 cm.
The idols are light-weight, dissolve easily in water and offer a sustainable alternative for celebration of Ganesh Puja, said the artist, who displayed it in his workshop near Gandhi Nagar after lending finishing touches on Sunday.
With a penchant for making miniature images of various gods and goddesses on different Hindu festivals, Moharana took only an hour to craft idols of the elephant god. “On every festival, I want to craft miniature images of gods and goddesses,” TOI quoted the artist as saying. His aim is to disseminate the message of protecting the environment.
Earlier, Moharana had created miniature images of different gods and goddesses and great Indian personalities in chalk, stone, wood and some other waste materials. These included Lord Shiva, Ganesh, Devi Durga, Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, former President Pratibha Singh Patil, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi etc. He also made miniature of Nandighosh, the chariot of Lord Jaganaath on Rath Yatra.