Officially the festivities have started! Yes, the next two months is going to be filled with occasions to splurge on new things, get the house cleaned yet again and indulge in gaining weight that I have successfully lost in the past few months. At least I won’t be guilty of putting on more weight, I’ll be just putting on the weight I lost!
Ramblings apart,yesterday also marked the beginning of Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival of Elephant God. I have never celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, in the sense, we’ve never had the idol placed at our home and followed any rituals, but yesterday was a different experience altogether.
We spent the Sunday indulging in some clay modelling. Omved sent across a Make your own Ganpati Kit for the boys ( and I hope me too!) so that we could experience the making of the eco-friendly Omved Ganesha. You can buy this in either the Omved stores in Mumbai or order from the online store. Priced at INR 520, this kit contains 500 gms of loose Shaadu clay powder, a small stand to keep the Ganesha, vedic 
ornaments to decorate it, an instruction leaflet, a step by step video guide that tells you how to mould the Ganesha.
What did we do ?
We started off by mixing the clay powder with enough water to get a gooey, yet a firm consistency. My suggestion is that add water little by little to get the desired consistency you want to mould the Ganesha. I kneaded the dough for another 5 minutes to get it to a very smooth consistency. With that done, we sat down and spread enough newspapers around to ensure the floor did not get messy. We followed the instructions carefully and the dad pitched in to show off his artistic skills to the non-artistic team of the mom and the boys. So the trunk has been the contribution of the dad! So after about an hour of playing with the clay, we were done! Our little Ganesha was made and we set it aside to dry overnight. It requires about 5-6 hours to dry, not more.
How was the experience?
We had an absolutely fun time feeling the clay and playing with it. Since this was the very first time, we made a small Ganesha, but I have enough clay with me to make more! I’ve set it aside to make another Ganesha with a friend who is an artist and hopefully, she will agree to paint the Ganesha with some vibrant colours.
You will need to handle this idol very carefully because it is extremely fragile. What I loved about this idol is that it a completely eco friendly way of celebrating Ganesh chaturthi and that suits me! And if you follow the tradition, I would say, do buy this kit to just experience the making of a Ganesha. Not only is there excitement, but I experienced happiness in making something that I thought I could never do.
Why is it eco-friendly?
The market made Ganesha’s are made with everything that is not good for the earth and our environment. Toxic chemicals, POP can cause pollution of the water bodies and not to mention the harm it causes to the marine life.
Using an eco-friendly option allows you not pollute the environment. If you are following the tradition of immersing the idol after a certain number of days, you can do so by either immersing it in a bucket of water at home and you can use the water for your plants. If you are immersing it in a water body, then you can do so without any hesitation because the clay is an eco friendly one and it will not cause any harm to the marine life. See? What more can you opt for than the goodness of not leaving behind your carbon footprint?
And let me present to you, Lord Ganesha, the epithet of goodness, virtuosity, harmony and truth. The remover of all obstacles and the bringer of joy. The idol made by the boys, with the help of the mommy and the daddy.
P.S. The ears are my contribution 🙂 and the Omved Ganesha was sent for a review.
Stay Green. Be Happy!
Hey ! Fabulous post ! I think its “THE” best post of this month 😀
Not just it promotes an eco friendly ganesh chaturthi but also it shows how one can bind his/her family together for such an auspicious occasion ( moreover educating children via the mythological stories ) .
Really creative ! I have never thought of this idea , but yes such an organic ganesh chaturthi is truly amazing. Way to go Prats !
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to everyone !
Ganpati Bappa Moriya ! 🙂
Thank you! Thank you! 🙂
What a lovely post! I am so for eco-friendly celebrations and the joy of modelling your own Ganesha can only multiply the festivities.
Oh yes! It was a delightful experience!
This is really cool stuff, Prats. What a fantastic way to involve the kids, keep it organic and learn at the same time. You’re making some fantastic choices for your boys! ♥
Thank you Corinne! My way of letting the boys into things that are good for them and the earth 🙂
That’s excellent. Its really a great way to involve kids in the activity and they can definitely connect better with the festival. Thanks!
Thank you Kajal!
Easy to make,eco friendly , looks good what more we want.interesting as we can indulge kids too .Nice post!!
http://sailorswiferamblings.blogspot.com/2013/09/life-is-beautiful_11.html
Thank you!
Ganpati ji look so cute. I am sure the boys enjoyed this family tradition. 🙂
It isn’t a family tradition, but yes the boys loved making it 🙂
That’s so cute and an interesting activity for kids to educate them about the traditions. Like it! I remember, I used to make statues and portraits while I was in 12th standard and I loved playing with clay…my hands have started craving now…thanks to you 🙂
You should try it! You can order this clay online
That looks so good. I think, these options are much better than buying Ganesha idol. We get Laxmi-Ganesha idols on Diwali every year which replaces the ones from the previous year. We always buy the clay ones, not the POP ones. Even for diyas, we never buy the multi-coloured [glittery] ones. I don’t know 100%, but I believe they are eco-friendly.
I pick up paper lanterns and attach it to the bulb and light the place with tin candles. 🙂
I’m all for environment-friendly options! And, this is so hands-on..it gives the little ones a sense of thrill and accomplishment to contribute to the puja too!!
It makes festivals fun! 🙂 I hope that my boys realize why I am making them indulge in the eco friendly options
Very nice. I love sculpting too, your posts makes me want to do it again 🙂
Oh do indulge in it! I am sure that you will love it!