Durga Puja organisers in Chennai are getting the celebrations togged in “green” by insisting that participants follow a slew of sustainability practices.
Dakshin Chennai Prabashi Cultural Association has decided upon reducing the convoy of vehicles accompanying the deity on the day of immersion.
Usually, around 20 cars hit the road on procession day, and this number will be whittled down, probably to a single digit.
As the celebrations take place on the lawns of a resort at Navalur in OMR, air-conditioners are out the window. Single-use plastic cannot make it to the venue.
“Our investment in biodegradable materials has increased and food is only served on biodegradable tableware,” says Soumitra Banerjee, vice-president, Dakshin Chennai Prabashi Cultural Association.
A majority of Associations anyway have the idol made with clay and by artisans brought from West Bengal, making the process eco-friendly as well as livelihood-based by supporting rural artisans.
This time, The Bengal Association, T. Nagar has instructed its event management company to use recyclable materials to decorate the pandals.
As in previous years, the Navarathri bhog will be served on biodegradable palm leaf plates.
Member of the Association say they are particular that food wastage is zero at best, or kept to the barest minimum at worst.
“Free bhog is given to all guests during lunch and we issue tokens in advance so that we have a count of how many people are expected and how much food to prepare,” says a committee member.
Dakshini Society in Anna Nagar, which is completing 30 years, has decided to mark the milestone by planting saplings.
Members of South Madras Cultural Association say they have cut down on usage of plastics.
Is sustainability a topic of discussion by the organising committee?
Soumitra says a conversation centred around making the festival eco-friendly has not been part of the agenda. He adds: “A majority of us work with corporates and in the corporate world, there is considerable investment in sustainability based on corporate social responsibility, and therefore, such conversations would happen.”
