Eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi: Ganesh Chaturthi is amongst the most popular festivals of India. Houses and roads turn colorful with lights, songs, prayers, and the aroma of modaks each year. People welcome Lord Ganesha with utmost devotion, wishing for happiness, wisdom, and good health.
But though the happiness has no bounds, celebrating it affects nature adversely at times. From plastic motifs to chemical idols, most festivities leave our rivers polluted, land contaminated, and skies toxic.
This is where Ayurvedic wisdom and natural brands like Patanjali can assist us in celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in a greener and healthier manner.
Ayurveda and festivals
Ayurveda guides us to coexist with nature. Whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever products we use, even where we reside, everything impacts our mind and body as per Ayurveda.
Festivals should make us one with joy and spirituality, but also with the respect for the five elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and space. If we celebrate at the cost of harmful chemicals, plastic, and pollution, we upset this equilibrium.
So, Ganesh Chaturthi is the right moment to move towards natural, eco-friendly ways guided by Ayurveda.
Selecting eco-friendly idols
In the past, idols of Ganesha used to be prepared from clay and colored with natural pigments. Such idols disintegrated in water during visarjan and left no toxic waste.
Currently, idols are produced using plaster of Paris (POP) as the raw material and colored by using chemical colors. These don’t disintegrate completely and emit harmful chemicals into rivers and lakes.
Ayurveda also asks us not to use chemicals and adopt natural elements. Using a clay idol or idol made of cow dung and herbal colors is one such easy yet effective step.
Natural decoration
Plastic flowers, glittering thermocol cutouts, and chemical sparkles may seem beautiful but end up in waste that takes ages to deteriorate. Ayurveda instead asks us to use natural objects that infuse positivity into the premises.
Fresh flowers such as marigold, lotus, and jasmine are not only aesthetically pleasing but also emit fragrance that soothes the mind. Mango leaves, banana leaves, and betel leaves are auspicious and cleanse the air.
And, rather than artificial room sprays, use herbal dhoop and agarbatti. Patanjali provides incense sticks made of natural herbs and oils. These do not emit toxic smoke and provide a sattvic (pure) ambiance.
Along with that, lighting lamps with sesame oil or ghee is an Ayurvedic method of infusing warmth, cleanliness, and positive energies into the environment.
Adorning Ganesh altar with greenery enhances the festival and maintains air purity.
Festivals are not merely ritualistic but also about the creation of a healthy environment for family members and guests. Ayurveda recommends purification of the body and the surroundings.
Replace chemical floor cleaners with natural ones. Patanjali has floor cleaners that contain neem and pine oil and disinfect without depositing toxic chemicals.
Diffusing essential oils of sandalwood, tulsi, or eucalyptus can clean the air and calm the nerves. And, mantra chanting or listening to soothing instrumental music balances the nervous system.
And, food!
Ganesh Chaturthi is not complete without food, particularly sweets such as modaks. Ayurveda promotes satvik food: fresh, light, and healthy. While indulging in party foods, one can make easy decisions to bring them closer to nature:
Replace refined sugar with jaggery. Prepare using cow ghee, which increases digestion and immunity. Mix dry fruits, sesame seeds, and coconut, all of which are Ayurvedic in nature.
Patanjali offers numerous natural ingredients ranging from organic jaggery to cow ghee and dry fruits that can be utilized for traditional offerings without artificial preservatives.
And, Visarjan!
The visarjan, i.e., the immersion of Lord Ganesha’s idol, is a highly emotional aspect of the festival. Yet it is here that maximum pollution occurs, with POP idols and non-biodegradable decorations clogging rivers and lakes.
Eco-friendly visarjan is feasible. You can do home visarjan in a bucket or tub with clay idols that get dissolved naturally. Utilize the water for gardening and not ruin rivers. Avoid submerging plastic flowers, thermocol, or artificial ornaments.
Not only does this practice maintain respect for nature but also the real spirit of Ganesha who is referred to as Prithvi Putra or son of Earth.
Lord Ganesha has the title Vighnaharta, or the remover of obstacles. One of the largest obstacles we have in our current era is pollution of the environment. If we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in the Ayurvedic manner, with natural idols, herbal ornamentation, sattvic offerings, and greening visarjan, then we can eliminate this obstacle and call in spiritual as well as environmental blessings.