Ganesh Chaturthi: People preferring eco-friendly clay Ganesha idols in Hyderabad

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 4 : As the Ganesh Chaturthi festival is round the corner, many people in Hyderabad have decided to bring eco-friendly clay idols of Lord Ganesha to their homes.
The need and vigour to conserve the environment has made people reject idols made out of chemicals, Plaster of Paris, plastic, hot melt glue in favour of idols made of natural materials like clay.
Lakshman, a shopkeeper selling such idols is happy with the sales of his clay Ganesha idols and highlighted its benefits for the public and environment.
"I have a shop in Himayat Nagar. I bring Ganesha idols from Solapur, Calcutta and Gujarat. The public prefers Ganesh idols made out of clay over colored Ganesha idols. There are some really nice designs. People are taking these idols home and later after the worship, they are planting growing plants using this idol. It is causing them a lot of benefit and happiness. Sales are really nice and we have been selling these idols for the last 10-15 years," Lakshman said.
Customers are also very well aware of the eco-friendly nature of these idols and have been purchasing them since a long time.
"Lord Ganesha idols made out of clay are really good. It does not cause any pollution or infection. I have been using these idols for a decade," said a customer named Prakash.
Another customer named Arun said, "I keep these clay Ganesh idols at my home every year. Everyone in my area uses such Ganesha idols only."
Ganesh Chaturthi, a ten-day festival that starts on the fourth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month Bhadrapada, will start on September 10 this year.