Idol Immersion Not Ideal at All!!!

This is not intended to hurt the sentiments of any individual or a group nor is it an act against religion; it is simply a word of awareness!

India is a country of 33 crore deities with an endless number of faiths and castes! The people of India seem to be so very devotional and pious. We celebrate almost each and every festival that comes across our way, though our motives may be varied, beginning right from unconditional devotion and contemplation to the divinity, through freaking out and enjoying the holidays and finally to gain popularity and the ‘Gift of the Illusive World, ‘Money!

But no matter for what purpose we are or pretend to be very ‘pure and religious’ we must re-think upon our actions and their corresponding reactions! Every coin has both the sides! All of us feel that serving the GOD is a task of high reverence! But do we know what does ‘serving the GOD actually mean?

Well, all the festivals that we celebrate have some or the other devastating effect upon  the environment as well as its constituent elements, viz. all of us and each living being! One such festival coming up is Ganesh Chaturthi. Let’s explore its pros and cons.

 Earlier Ganesh Chaturthi was festival depicting the endless cycle of being born from the earth and returning back to it. (By making the idols, celebrating and immersing back into water.) The idols devised were made from the mud and then were immersed into the lakes, rivers and seas. The whole process was carried with utmost decency, but as an when commercialization came into the picture, it hampered the balance of the society and changed everyone’s view point from religious and devotional aspect to the commercial one, which always oversees anything and everything in its way ‘except Profit’!

Harmful Effects:
1.    The water pollution and the waste generated by the non-biodegradable accessories used during the worship.

2.    Noise pollution, Traffic congestion3.    Deaths

4.    The acid content in the waters increased – The acidity of the water rises and makes the water unfit for the animals to live in. The water also is no more potable!

5.   Increase in the Heavy metal contents of Water:  Eg. Iron which increased nearly 10 times and copper which increased by 200 to 300%!

     1)    Water Pollution: The idols that we make are made up of POP, i.e., Plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is much cheaper, durable and abundant than the original mud being used for designing the idols. It is a man-made substance that is not Bio-degradable and thus is a great threat to the environment. It is also insoluble in water. The paints used for decorating these idols contain heavy metals like Mercury and Cadmium that cause water pollution. Apart from all these threats other items that are immersed with the idols accumulate on the river bed in layers! These items collectively are referred to as the ‘Nirmalya’. These may include fruits, flowers, incense sticks, camphor, clothes etc. Some of these are bio-degradable but the majority is not, and these substances give a foul smell to the water and cause it become dirty and unfit for consumption. This not only harms our lives but also the creatures dwelling within the water!

     2)    Noise pollution and traffic congestion: There are no less than 15-20 idols that are immersed in the rivers, lakes or seas. Lacs of people gather on the roads and do travel long distances for Ganesh Visarjan. Out of all the excitement there are many shrieks and loud speakers which create immense noise pollution. The whole of the city gets disturbed. It must be noted that in our celebrations and days of entertainment there are others who are fighting with their lives, with the hope one more day!!! There are others who have exams on their heads! There are other officials who have to attend on their jobs at any cost! The amount of noise and traffic generated create a lot of imbalance in the life of such people. On top of that vehicles run of fossil fuels and long runs, deplete the reserves of it and contribute to air pollution!

3)    The loss of life: There are many deaths that occur just due to such practices! There are so many people who get drowned in the water while immersing the idol, there are others who get crushed in the incessant mob and the rest get killed in accidents or due to lack of treatment due to traffic or the closure of hospitals on ‘such so called auspicious occasions’!

Worshipping is an inner job, and if it really comes from deep within the heart, than there is no need to show off or gush down to streets!!! Can such chaotic situations be called ‘Worshipping the lord’? Is it worthy enough to associate the word divinity where inhuman customs prevail? Please do remember that the greatest of the service and the greatest of the religion ‘Is To Serve Others’ For every problem there must be a solution!

Solutions:

    1)    STOP CELEBRATING THIS FESTIVAL IN THIS FASHION! Instead help the poor and the needy, help the ones who are really in desperate need. Do not waste resources like money in useless and worthless rituals!

If not…..

    2)    Return to the traditional use of natural clay idols and immerse it in a bucket of water at home.

    3)    Build an idol of stone or brass and use it every year. Perform mock/fake immersions!

    4)    Say no to POP – Plaster of Paris idols!

    5)    Use other biodegradable materials like Paper-Mache to create Ganesh idols.    

6  6)    Encourage people to immerse the idols in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies

Last option and not preferred at all…..

    1)    If POP idol is used, sprinkle a few drops of water, indicating symbolic immersion and then send it for re-cycling and using it next year.