Hi Team,
This is a great initiative..Hope this should change entire crowd very soon. i have a small suggestion..though we are really interested in buying the place is very far..hope there are many like me..so you can take orders from website, in the evening volunteers of yours can deliver the orders to the respective areas where they are staying…don’t know how far it is implementable..just a suggestion..
Your website is really impressive and dedicated to a good cause.
One key area to strengthen is to provide more places where eco-friendly Ganesha idols can be purchased. The currently listed 3 is way too less for a city of the size of B’lore.
While on one hand it is good to raise the awareness and create the demand in parallel the supply should be ensured so that the converts do not turn away due to lack of easy availability of the idols.
Thanks for your feedback. We are in the process of collecting more addresses /shops. We will be updating the posts in the Buying ecoGanesha idols.
There are some shop keepers who can setup stalls in different places with unpainted idols, we will posting the details soon, you can get in touch with them.
If you make an effort u can get unpainted idols, just go ask the local shopkeeper to provide u one and give a few days notice, It should work.
Your website is good and your initiative also very good. But when I saw the writings in kannada section, I felt very bad. It is full of mistakes. Could you please have someone to correct the spellings in kannada script.
I sow the Ganapathi making video by you. It is simply Great. Wanted to make one suggestion – The translation og Murthis or Pratimas are probably not hte best translation. Looks at what is the meaning of Idol: (This is not what we mean when we say Murthi, Pratima or GOD) So, ;et’s try using better words in place of Idols.. (Thanks)
i·dol (dl)n.
1. a. An image used as an object of worship.
b. A false god.
2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.
3. Something visible but without substance.
4.idol – someone who is adored blindly and excessively
5. matinee idol
6. heartthrob – an object of infatuation
7. principal, star, lead – an actor who plays a principal role
i pray the ganapathy in this ocassion is that every one should understand the theme of the website and i hope that this website definitly create the awareness about the environment conservation
Just wanted to let you know that unpainted clay idols are available opp Bata ShowRoom, 9th Main, BSK II Stage.
If you can add this to your list it might help people who are yet to buy…
I am happy to say that, I just brought home a eco-FRIENDLY ganapati, and the reason is the article published in vijaya karnataka. Thanks you for giving this information and idea……I am relieved, as I was able to do the least that I could, as i am not volunteering.But I have sent emails and sms to all i know, regarding this initiative.
I viewed your video on making Ganesha and it inspired me to make my own idol this time for Ganesha Pooja. I would like to thank you for the inspiration, I think this was one of the most satisfying Ganesha festivals we’ve had at our home.
It took about an hour for me to make the Ganesha (excluding decorations, which took about half an hour) and it came out pretty well. I later decorated it with stones and other decorative materials to make the crown, necklace, etc. We were very happy with the way the idol came out and I’ll probably do this every year from now onwards.
However some feedback on the video itself:
1. I would have preferred having the person explain some of the aspects of making Ganesha than to listen to the shlokas.
2. It also could have helped the person talk about proportions .. like leg should be x % larger than hands, trunk to be x times longer than hand, etc.
3. A kind of document or ppt with pictures at a few stages could have definitely helped. We could have printed this out and kept it next to us as, while making the idol, I obviously couldn’t be watching the video as (a) video is too quick and we are too new to this (b) we might not be making the idol where we have connectivity or where we can keep a laptop .. it does get a little messy.
4. It would be great if you could publish the locations where we could find the clay. I searched quite a bit before I found it.
Next time, I am very sure that my Ganesha will look much better than what it did this time, simply because I have expeirened it once.
A few observations from my experience:
1. The back cames out roundish, if you aren’t careful .. which doesn’t look great. Use a knife to cut and flatten the back, so that Ganesha will look more handsome. But do this before you place the legs, hands and trunk on the Ganesha.
2. If you are making the idol on the floor or the table, keep a thick plastic cover before you start, so you don’t mess the table/floor.
3. While making, place the Ganesha on a cardboard or a wooden board, after dusting it with some maida flour or talcom powder. Make a base first. Definitely helps. Make the mouse on the base.
4. When using water to dampen your hands and smoothen Ganesha, use very very little water .. just wet your fingers and shake the excess water. Else, the clay will get too slippery!
5. Once the idol is ready and before it dries, use a pencil or a pin to draw eyes and make some designs on the crown and platform.
6. Use a black beed for the eyes of both Ganesha and the mouse
7. Make the idol 3-4 days prior to the festival, so that it dries well. Once it dries well, you can take it out of the wooden or card board and place it in a plate.
Hope this helps someone who might want to try this next year.
This initiative is very sensible. Shri Ganesha is the Earth principle and such irony that His celebration is the cause of pollution. Wish you all the success in this initiative.
It is indeed a great step to educate people that the festival has been causing harm to ecology. It is to be realised that this is not the only festival that has been a bane to the ecology.
Take for instance any festival. It is mandatory to adorn the doors with mango leaves, as is the custom in South India Region, mainly. How many trees or the branches are shed for every fetival can only be a guess.
A fair assumption is that a family needs for every festival about 40 leaves and four branch-lets to adorn the door, and for Pooja decoration. It is fair to guess that to meet the needs of 3 to 4 thousand families who follow the customs of the festival, one tree has to be shed off of its leaves, totally.
Can we changing the customs to save these trees and for the sake of our future generations.
It is not the mango tree alone that is butchered. The Neem, Banana plants, Goosberry trees, ‘Shami’ trees, ‘Bilva Tree’, ‘Muttuga’ Tree, cocoanut trees, Ekka (Arka) plant, Tulasi Plant, and many other trees and plants are mercilessly hecked for observing the rituals.
Let us be sensible and think for a while to find if life is going to be bad due to curse by God for not observing the rituals, to protect the environment.
Certainly not and It is going to be whatever that happens to those who have no such rituals in their custom shall only happen to us also.
Can we do some damage control at least at this stage and teach our kids not to adopt to such customs in future?
Please help save our environment through supporting the nature to flourish than to perish
namaste,
excellent concept and hats for the initiative. we need such more Eco-friendly celebrations. ganga, kashi, pampa are polluted only due to over dependence and exploitation of our traditional ritual practices. in the name of we are making harm to biosphere. so, all Eco-friendly projects and all such of nature enthusiastic approaches are congratulated.
i am a lecturer by profession, always advice my students to be Eco-friendly in all aspects of life. i will tel about this website and this concepts too so that our true way of worship should be favoring ecological conservation.
Namaste,
I am very glad to see this initiative. I hope this is the time to revive the pooja concept in all kids. What about conducting Ganesh Pooja just by kids (which became very popular in USA in last 4-5 years).
We definitely can set a trend by conducting a big one in Bengaluru. Let me know if I can he any help.
The logic that videos of Chakravarthy Sulibele, Dr R. Ganesh, Paramapujya Swamy Harshanandaji Maharaj were very convincing and inspiring.
I am working in Hyderabad, would like take up this initiative to the Telugu audience, I do not know Telugu myself but would like to mobilize my friends and colleagues.
Am trying to contact YFS-HYD volunteers.
Would appreciate if similar video campaign is enabled in Telugu and other languages.
Thanks for your feedback.We certainly can add a Telugu section with the text translation of the material in the Message section. If you could provide us the content we will certainly add the same.One volunteer has offered to do the translation to Marathi, once available it will be uploaded.
Regarding the video, we could do the sub-titling in different languages, do let us know if you have any volunteers who can help us with the same.
I along with friends have planned to create awareness by wearing T – Shirts with the issue and distribute pamplets for this issue with the eco friendly ganesha selling shops. After seeing your website, I have decided to work as volunteer together with ur team and reach more people.
Please do reach me at 9880994182 or anilkumarbvn@gmail.com . I would like to work with you and do my part for this cause. Looking forward for your response.
it is a great work to promote eco friendly Ganeshas’. i have downloaded the video from u tube. i would like to prepare Ganeshas’ during the festival and would like to distribute to nearby houses free of cost. this is due to my passion for art, bhakthi towards Ganesha, the dispenser of sorrows and obstacles and the zeal to promote ecoism. i request you to provide me the information where can i get the mould (plastic or plaster of paris) for preparing Ganesh. please let me know. if you are selling them, am ready to purchase them from you by coming to bengaluru. hope to hear from you soon.
chinna reddy, tirupati
Clay Station, collective of ceramic artists, is planning to conduct week long program on making eco friendly Ganesha. They will assist you to make your own clay Ganesha using natural clay.
To Involve encourage kids on this we could ask some retailers to sell packets of clay, where kids can design their own Ganesha, also encourage kids to paint the uncolored ganesha idol with watercolors.We could even hold competitions, and give prizes….
Dear all,
Its an unique work that you people decided to bring out awareness into the public that will surely help our society and i was very glad join you and i joined. So we together put forward this effort in aspects of saving our environment and the culture.
Dear, Sir,
I want the Moulds of Ganeshas to make ganesha Idols from Clay.. please let me know that .. where can I get them and the cast of the each moulds of different types?? I wan 4 types of moulds.. plese do the needful.
Thanks and Regards,
Muralidhara. HS
9448225137 hsmuralidhara@gmail.com
August 17th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Hi Team,
This is a great initiative..Hope this should change entire crowd very soon. i have a small suggestion..though we are really interested in buying the place is very far..hope there are many like me..so you can take orders from website, in the evening volunteers of yours can deliver the orders to the respective areas where they are staying…don’t know how far it is implementable..just a suggestion..
August 17th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Hi,
Your website is really impressive and dedicated to a good cause.
One key area to strengthen is to provide more places where eco-friendly Ganesha idols can be purchased. The currently listed 3 is way too less for a city of the size of B’lore.
While on one hand it is good to raise the awareness and create the demand in parallel the supply should be ensured so that the converts do not turn away due to lack of easy availability of the idols.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Thanks for your feedback. We are in the process of collecting more addresses /shops. We will be updating the posts in the Buying ecoGanesha idols.
There are some shop keepers who can setup stalls in different places with unpainted idols, we will posting the details soon, you can get in touch with them.
If you make an effort u can get unpainted idols, just go ask the local shopkeeper to provide u one and give a few days notice, It should work.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Hi
Your website is good and your initiative also very good. But when I saw the writings in kannada section, I felt very bad. It is full of mistakes. Could you please have someone to correct the spellings in kannada script.
Regards
Nagaraj
August 20th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Thanks for your feedback, we will try to review all the kannada scripts at the earliest and correct the errors.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Namaste,
I sow the Ganapathi making video by you. It is simply Great. Wanted to make one suggestion – The translation og Murthis or Pratimas are probably not hte best translation. Looks at what is the meaning of Idol: (This is not what we mean when we say Murthi, Pratima or GOD) So, ;et’s try using better words in place of Idols.. (Thanks)
i·dol (dl)n.
1. a. An image used as an object of worship.
b. A false god.
2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.
3. Something visible but without substance.
4.idol – someone who is adored blindly and excessively
5. matinee idol
6. heartthrob – an object of infatuation
7. principal, star, lead – an actor who plays a principal role
August 20th, 2009 at 7:49 am
hello.
this is a very good and modern idea to educate people abt their responsibility towards environment. all d best!
August 21st, 2009 at 9:12 am
i pray the ganapathy in this ocassion is that every one should understand the theme of the website and i hope that this website definitly create the awareness about the environment conservation
August 22nd, 2009 at 6:24 am
Just wanted to let you know that unpainted clay idols are available opp Bata ShowRoom, 9th Main, BSK II Stage.
If you can add this to your list it might help people who are yet to buy…
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
I am happy to say that, I just brought home a eco-FRIENDLY ganapati, and the reason is the article published in vijaya karnataka. Thanks you for giving this information and idea……I am relieved, as I was able to do the least that I could, as i am not volunteering.But I have sent emails and sms to all i know, regarding this initiative.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:51 am
I viewed your video on making Ganesha and it inspired me to make my own idol this time for Ganesha Pooja. I would like to thank you for the inspiration, I think this was one of the most satisfying Ganesha festivals we’ve had at our home.
It took about an hour for me to make the Ganesha (excluding decorations, which took about half an hour) and it came out pretty well. I later decorated it with stones and other decorative materials to make the crown, necklace, etc. We were very happy with the way the idol came out and I’ll probably do this every year from now onwards.
However some feedback on the video itself:
1. I would have preferred having the person explain some of the aspects of making Ganesha than to listen to the shlokas.
2. It also could have helped the person talk about proportions .. like leg should be x % larger than hands, trunk to be x times longer than hand, etc.
3. A kind of document or ppt with pictures at a few stages could have definitely helped. We could have printed this out and kept it next to us as, while making the idol, I obviously couldn’t be watching the video as (a) video is too quick and we are too new to this (b) we might not be making the idol where we have connectivity or where we can keep a laptop .. it does get a little messy.
4. It would be great if you could publish the locations where we could find the clay. I searched quite a bit before I found it.
Next time, I am very sure that my Ganesha will look much better than what it did this time, simply because I have expeirened it once.
A few observations from my experience:
1. The back cames out roundish, if you aren’t careful .. which doesn’t look great. Use a knife to cut and flatten the back, so that Ganesha will look more handsome. But do this before you place the legs, hands and trunk on the Ganesha.
2. If you are making the idol on the floor or the table, keep a thick plastic cover before you start, so you don’t mess the table/floor.
3. While making, place the Ganesha on a cardboard or a wooden board, after dusting it with some maida flour or talcom powder. Make a base first. Definitely helps. Make the mouse on the base.
4. When using water to dampen your hands and smoothen Ganesha, use very very little water .. just wet your fingers and shake the excess water. Else, the clay will get too slippery!
5. Once the idol is ready and before it dries, use a pencil or a pin to draw eyes and make some designs on the crown and platform.
6. Use a black beed for the eyes of both Ganesha and the mouse
7. Make the idol 3-4 days prior to the festival, so that it dries well. Once it dries well, you can take it out of the wooden or card board and place it in a plate.
Hope this helps someone who might want to try this next year.
Regards,
Sandhya.
August 24th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Its very nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
August 24th, 2009 at 6:36 am
good website
August 26th, 2009 at 10:03 am
This initiative is very sensible. Shri Ganesha is the Earth principle and such irony that His celebration is the cause of pollution. Wish you all the success in this initiative.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Dear Devotees
It is indeed a great step to educate people that the festival has been causing harm to ecology. It is to be realised that this is not the only festival that has been a bane to the ecology.
Take for instance any festival. It is mandatory to adorn the doors with mango leaves, as is the custom in South India Region, mainly. How many trees or the branches are shed for every fetival can only be a guess.
A fair assumption is that a family needs for every festival about 40 leaves and four branch-lets to adorn the door, and for Pooja decoration. It is fair to guess that to meet the needs of 3 to 4 thousand families who follow the customs of the festival, one tree has to be shed off of its leaves, totally.
Can we changing the customs to save these trees and for the sake of our future generations.
It is not the mango tree alone that is butchered. The Neem, Banana plants, Goosberry trees, ‘Shami’ trees, ‘Bilva Tree’, ‘Muttuga’ Tree, cocoanut trees, Ekka (Arka) plant, Tulasi Plant, and many other trees and plants are mercilessly hecked for observing the rituals.
Let us be sensible and think for a while to find if life is going to be bad due to curse by God for not observing the rituals, to protect the environment.
Certainly not and It is going to be whatever that happens to those who have no such rituals in their custom shall only happen to us also.
Can we do some damage control at least at this stage and teach our kids not to adopt to such customs in future?
Please help save our environment through supporting the nature to flourish than to perish
Om tat sat.
Ramu
July 27th, 2010 at 10:51 am
namaste,
excellent concept and hats for the initiative. we need such more Eco-friendly celebrations. ganga, kashi, pampa are polluted only due to over dependence and exploitation of our traditional ritual practices. in the name of we are making harm to biosphere. so, all Eco-friendly projects and all such of nature enthusiastic approaches are congratulated.
i am a lecturer by profession, always advice my students to be Eco-friendly in all aspects of life. i will tel about this website and this concepts too so that our true way of worship should be favoring ecological conservation.
rajesh padmar, bengaluru
August 1st, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Namaste,
I am very glad to see this initiative. I hope this is the time to revive the pooja concept in all kids. What about conducting Ganesh Pooja just by kids (which became very popular in USA in last 4-5 years).
We definitely can set a trend by conducting a big one in Bengaluru. Let me know if I can he any help.
Vedaswaroop
August 3rd, 2010 at 7:52 am
Excellent initiative. Where can we get Eco-friendly Ganeshas in Mysore
Suresh
August 4th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Namaste,
Was very please with the initiative.
The logic that videos of Chakravarthy Sulibele, Dr R. Ganesh, Paramapujya Swamy Harshanandaji Maharaj were very convincing and inspiring.
I am working in Hyderabad, would like take up this initiative to the Telugu audience, I do not know Telugu myself but would like to mobilize my friends and colleagues.
Am trying to contact YFS-HYD volunteers.
Would appreciate if similar video campaign is enabled in Telugu and other languages.
August 22nd, 2010 at 12:40 am
Thanks for your feedback.We certainly can add a Telugu section with the text translation of the material in the Message section. If you could provide us the content we will certainly add the same.One volunteer has offered to do the translation to Marathi, once available it will be uploaded.
Regarding the video, we could do the sub-titling in different languages, do let us know if you have any volunteers who can help us with the same.
August 30th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Hi Team,
I along with friends have planned to create awareness by wearing T – Shirts with the issue and distribute pamplets for this issue with the eco friendly ganesha selling shops. After seeing your website, I have decided to work as volunteer together with ur team and reach more people.
Please do reach me at 9880994182 or anilkumarbvn@gmail.com . I would like to work with you and do my part for this cause. Looking forward for your response.
Anilkumar BVN
December 17th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
sir
it is a great work to promote eco friendly Ganeshas’. i have downloaded the video from u tube. i would like to prepare Ganeshas’ during the festival and would like to distribute to nearby houses free of cost. this is due to my passion for art, bhakthi towards Ganesha, the dispenser of sorrows and obstacles and the zeal to promote ecoism. i request you to provide me the information where can i get the mould (plastic or plaster of paris) for preparing Ganesh. please let me know. if you are selling them, am ready to purchase them from you by coming to bengaluru. hope to hear from you soon.
chinna reddy, tirupati
August 5th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Clay Station, collective of ceramic artists, is planning to conduct week long program on making eco friendly Ganesha. They will assist you to make your own clay Ganesha using natural clay.
http://www.claystation.in
9535000629
August 9th, 2011 at 5:12 am
To Involve encourage kids on this we could ask some retailers to sell packets of clay, where kids can design their own Ganesha, also encourage kids to paint the uncolored ganesha idol with watercolors.We could even hold competitions, and give prizes….
August 9th, 2011 at 7:13 am
Thanks for the suggestions. Do let us know if you can organize any of the activities in your locality/ school , we will be happy to work with you.
August 28th, 2011 at 8:17 am
Dear all,
Its an unique work that you people decided to bring out awareness into the public that will surely help our society and i was very glad join you and i joined. So we together put forward this effort in aspects of saving our environment and the culture.
January 17th, 2013 at 10:01 am
I want to purchase moulds or Dies to make ganesha Idols , Can u provide the contact details
September 18th, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Dear, Sir,
I want the Moulds of Ganeshas to make ganesha Idols from Clay.. please let me know that .. where can I get them and the cast of the each moulds of different types?? I wan 4 types of moulds.. plese do the needful.
Thanks and Regards,
Muralidhara. HS
9448225137
hsmuralidhara@gmail.com