Hyderabad artisans mull over use of herbal colours on Ganesha idols

As Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh draws near, artisans in Hyderabad are in a quandary.

Hyderabad, July 13 : As Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh draws near, artisans in Hyderabad are in a quandary.

The question bothering them is whether to apply synthetic colours to the idols they make for a living, or to obey the State Government and go in for herbal colours.

It's a matter of life and death for them, as at least 15,000 Ganesha idols have to be made for the festival that falls in September. The festival lasts for ten days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi.

All the brightly coloured idols varying from one foot to forty feet, would end up being immersed across the state when the festival ends.

The State Government's directive on using herbal colours is aimed at preventing water bodies from getting polluted.

Artisans say herbal colours are hard to come by, and whatever is available, is sub-standard.

Laxmi Narayan Singh, an idol maker, said: "There are no credible brands, or companies that manufacture them. If the government can find any, they can perhaps direct the supplies to us. I requested them to get us colours that can be applied as easily as the chemical colours."

According to the authorities, artisans are not against using herbal colours, but admit to facing a problem of inadequate supply.

"The Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps also showed how various colours can be made and what the use of non-toxic colours is? The only point is the colours have to be made available," G. Prasanna Kumar, Director of the Corps said.

According to eco-watchers, the immersion of thousands of idols made of Plaster of Paris and coated with synthetic colours, pollutes water bodies excessively.

ANI