KHAIRATABAD GANESH TO BE MADE OF CLAY

The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samiti announced on Saturday that the massive idol will be made from clay and will use natural colours for the Ganesh Chaturthi next year. If it does materialise, it will be for the first time in 63 years that the Khairatabad Ganesh will not be made of plaster of Paris.

Samiti member Raj Kumar said the height of the idol for next year had not been decided. The idol stands at 57 feet this year; the samiti had agreed previously to reduce the height by a foot every year.

“We will be making the idol using clay and natural colours. We took this decision after Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan spoke against the use of plaster of Paris for making idols,” Mr Kumar said.

“The Khairatabad Ganesh idol is one of the biggest and most popular Ganesh pandals in the country and we want to do our bit for the environment,” he said.

The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samiti announced on Saturday that the massive idol will be made from clay and will use natural colours for the Ganesh Chaturthi next year.

The movement to make large idols with clay took off a couple of years ago with a tall statute at Kavadiguda being made of clay.

“The use of plaster of Paris is not needed to ensure an idol’s beauty. The more ecofriendly the idol is, the more the festival is contributing to goodwill,” said a samiti member.

A samiti member said they had spoken to sculptors and they have agreed to work on the designing of the idol innovatively using clay.

Mayor Bonthu Rammohan cited the example of the Khairatabad samiti, and urged all pandal organisers to use clay idols from next year.

THE MOVEMENT to make large idols with clay took off a couple of years ago with a tall statue at Kavadiguda being made of clay.

THE MORE eco-friendly the idol is, the more the festival is contributing to goodwill.