Bhubaneswar: Volunteers of Bakul Foundation, which takes its name from the Bakul tree, have been worshipping a tree as Shree Ganesh, drawing inspiration from the age-old practice of worshipping trees in India, a practice prevalent even today.
This year was no different. While a tree was made up into an idol with art work by volunteers with upcycled material, its trunk clothed in new dhotis doubled up as the body of Lord Ganesh. The traditional winnow trays (Kulla) became the big ears with the trunk painted on the trunk of the tree.
“All the volunteers were pretty excited with this creative idea of giving an environmental message and we put our ideas as to how differently we will create the Tree Ganesh. A highlight has been a dry coconut with its eyes and lips painted to look like the mouse, the vehicle of Lord Ganesh. We knew the risk of rain, and designed it to withstand the rains. And it did rain as a blessing when we started the Puja,” said Shruti Kanungo, a young volunteer.
The rains also ensured a natural visarjan of the Lord Ganesh.
The foundation has been following this practice since 2017. Earlier it was celebrated at the Bakul Library in Satyanagar but since 2022, after the Bakul Library opened inside Biju Patnaik Park (Forest Park), a tree in front of the library inside the park has been worshipped as Tree Ganesh.
“Our environment was fine as long as culturally, we had a relationship with nature, and we worshipped and respected it. The moment we lost this cultural relationship, and trees became mere objects, they were dispensable. That’s why if a temple has come up below a tree, it becomes difficult to cut a tree,” said Sujit Mahapatra, the founder of Bakul.
