Pune's eco-friendly 'Vriksha Gajanan' idols see demand from India and abroad

With Ganeshotsav just days away, preparations for welcoming Bappa are underway in homes across the city. As people plan idol selection, decoration and offerings, many Puneites are considering an eco-friendly way to celebrate this year. One idea that has emerged from this thinking and is now generating buzz is 'Vriksha Gajanan'. The initiative offers a different answer to the question of what happens to Bappa after immersion. Once the idol is immersed, its soil can be put back into a pot to grow a plant, meaning Bappa continues to live on at home in a new form.

Driven by a love of nature and concern for the environment, Dr Akshay Kauthale, Kedar Kumbhar, Ritwesh Jadhav and Charudatta Jadhav started the 'Vriksha Gajanan' initiative in 2019. The idols are made in the Dattawadi area of Uruli Kanchan. Initially, only a single 11-inch idol was made, but different sizes and designs have since been developed.

The venture, which began in Pune, has now crossed state boundaries. A network of sales outlets and distributors has been set up in Nashik, Amravati, Jalgaon and Dhule. The idols are also sent to Dubai, Canada, Germany and the United States, and online orders come in from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Karwar and Belagavi as well.

Black soil from farmland is used to make the idols, and no chemicals other than soil are mixed in. Coconut coir is used as support to keep the idol sturdy. Each idol comes with a jute bag, an earthen pot and a packet of seeds. This year the packet contains brinjal and fenugreek seeds, so after immersion the idol's soil can be placed in the pot and the seeds sown, and within a few days a green sapling sprouts.

Women play a major role in this production. At the unit in Uruli Kanchan, women make the idols as well as carve the crown design and paint the eyes and the sandalwood mark. As the business grows, seven to eight women find employment through it every year.

Compared to Shadu clay idols, these idols take more time and effort to make, but to keep the option affordable for ordinary buyers, the price of a one-foot idol has been kept close to that of a Shadu clay idol. Rather than ending the festival with immersion in a river, 'Vriksha Gajanan' sends the message of preserving Bappa in a new form even after immersion.

The package includes a Ganesh idol made from farm soil, a silver-coloured base, a pot filled with farm soil, a packet of seeds and a jute bag. The idol is fully eco-friendly and can be immersed at home, which helps avoid water pollution. After immersion, the soil is reused to grow a plant, encouraging the idea of planting trees. A jute bag is used instead of plastic, and alongside an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav, the initiative also provides employment opportunities for women.