With the Ganesh Chathurthi just around the corner, the debate between clay and Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols is once again the hot topic. While the government and NGOs are trying to persuade people with the arguments of cost benefits and environmental friendliness of clay, the question remains as to why many people are reluctant to switch over.
Are the clay Ganesh idols so bad looking that it would kill the festival spirit? Those who do not know the answer to this query should take a stroll through Indira Park located at lower Tankbund.
Situated in one of the park, one can spot a couple of makeshift tents and under its bright blue plastic awning, one can spot rows and rows of finely crafted five-foot tall Ganesh idols.These are clay Ganeshas being made by a group of 20 artisans from Kolkata who came here to cater to the festival demand.
If one inspects them up close, one can see the clay smoothed over the generous belly of one of Hinduism’s most cherished deity.
The almond-shaped eyes are marked by black ink that lines them like kohl. The monotone of grey reminds one of a cloudy sky before the rains. The deity’s ornaments like the crown and necklaces are fixed on the idol after being moulded separately. Woven jute is draped across the lower half of the idol, rendering the effect of actual garments.
Now compare this with a PoP idol.
One’s senses are bombarded by flashy pinks and greens, the ornaments are daubs of metallic gold, and in some cases brown, paint on the idol itself.
To top it all of, the shiny varnish makes one imagine a perspiring Ganesha! The tradition of immersing Ganesh idols in a water body is, in fact, diametrically opposite to the current use of PoP idols.
In earlier times, the idols were made from clay that was dredged up from the lake/river bed.
The concept of keeping the idol at home for 10 days and then immersing it was symbolic of welcoming prosperity and then banishing all things evil.
Upon immersion, the clay idol would dissolve in the water, which was looked upon as the bad things, imagined or believed, being washed away.
But the use of PoP nullifies this tradition. Not only does the PoP idol not dissolve in the water, it adds harmful content into it that stays there for a long time.
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