Visakhapatnam: As part of VinyakaChavithi, pandalorganisers celebrate the festival every year not only in a novel way but also deliver a social message. This year too, the city's eco-warriors have come up with Seed Ganeshas which is an offshoot of eco-friendly clay Ganeshas.
“Usually 21 type of patris (leaves) containing medicinal values will be used to worship Lord Ganesha during the festival. So, we gathered 21 varieties of seeds and kept inside each of the clay Ganeshas. After celebrations, through submerging the idols in a pot or in a garden these seeds will grow as plants which are useful in many ways," said J Rajeshwari of ParyavaranaMargadarsi Vaisakhi.
Giving a major push to environmental conservation, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) in collaboration with Bapuji Rural Enlightenment and Development Society (BREDS), Green Environment Service Society and ParyavaranaMargadarsi Vaisakhi distributed 5,000 eco-friendly seed Ganeshas to the public free of cost in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
Seeds of medicinal plants such as FicusReligiosa, NeriumIndicum and MangiferaIndica have a healing power to arrest bleeding, wounds, hair fall, diabetics and diseases of throat.
As many of the trees or plants are on the verge of extinct in the cities, devotees complain that it has become a hard task to find these patris for Ganesha festival, said Dr Vijay Kumar, founding president of ParyavaranaMargadarsi Vaisakhi.
"It is then, we thought to collect the seeds of these plants to insert them in the mud Ganeshas," he explained