Eco-friendly Ganesh-Lakshmi idols of cow dung, lac for a green Diwali this year

Prayagraj: Rural women artisans of the Self Help Groups (SHG) from Prayagraj are busy making eco-friendly idols for Diwali using cow dung, cleansed cow urine and naturally produced lac.

These women, mostly belonging to development blocks including Kaudihar, Shankargarh, Holagarh, Mauaima, Handia, and Soraon, received training to make these idols at workshops organised by Bioved Research Institute of Agriculture and Technology.

These idols are set to woo the devotees in Prayagraj as well as in markets of New Delhi and Kolkata, from where they will reach different parts of the country.

Director of Bioved Research Institute of Agriculture and Technology Brijesh K Dwivedi said that the institute has been training women in making lac-based products using prefabricated dye structures for past few years. "Last year, we trained local rural women in making flower pots using street-collected cow dung and lac through our innovative technique. These proved to be a big hit, with many five-star hotels ordering them from far-off cities," he informed.

"The demand for these idols is so high that we are unable to meet the orders of the customers as many people, on coming to know of these idols of cow dung and lac, ordered them immediately," said one of the idol makers, Manju Pandey of Sirawa village of Holagarh block.

It takes just about 10-20 minutes to make one idol, depending on the design, she said, adding that besides being eco-friendly, these idols are very light and durable making them a preferred choice.

"Barring a couple of years of pandemic, there is fairly good demand for these eco-friendly items, and they sell off quickly," said Dwivedi.