Eco-friendly, 50-feet tall clay Ganesha awaits you at Khairatabad this year

Hyderabad: A small girl stands with folded hands in front of a gigantic, colourful idol of Lord Ganesha. Her mother is trying to take a photo of her against the backdrop of the infamous Khairatabad Ganesha stationed just opposite the government community health centre in Khairatabad. People from different parts of the city have gathered to catch a glimpse of the 50-feet tall idol. The workers standing atop are busy with last-minute work, removing sticks and clothes that covered the idol, revealing the entire work of art. As the police try to clear traffic jams along the narrow roads, people on the move stop their vehicles for a minute to click a selfie with the deity.

For the first time in the last 60 years, the Khairatabad Ganesha is made completely out of clay this year, keeping in view the Supreme Court guidelines. Also, only natural colours have been used to paint the Ganesha.

What is special about this years' idol?

Raj Kumar, the president of Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee, explains the special attributes of this year's Khairatabad Ganesha. "This year, we have gone for Panchamukha Mahalakshmi Ganapathi. On the right side of Lord Ganesha is Gayathri Amma and on the left is Shanmugha Subrahmania Swamy. Pandit Vittal Sharma, a friend of the main artist Rajendar, suggested that keeping Subrahmania Swamy on the left and Gayathri Amma on the right will bring good health to the public," he says.

He further explains that the idol is the result of the efforts of 150 artisans who worked day and night for 80 days. "Rajendar is from Chennai. Besides, this year the idol maker from Odisha Jogarao and his team were also roped in as they specialise in making clay idols. Also, there is a team of artisans from Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana," he adds.

Raj continues, "We were a little doubtful if we would be able to carry the idol if it is made of clay. It was Jogarao who gave us the confidence that it could be done."

The clay brought from Rajasthan was mixed with water, gaddi (grass), coconut husk, etc. to make the raw material for the Ganesha idol.

Safety, security, and surveillance

Considering the recent communal tension and the prevailing situation in the city, special security arrangements have been made this year to ensure that nothing untoward happens during the festival. "Minister Talasani Yadav and Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagendar have taken initiatives to check the security arrangements. The Hyderabad police have installed 30 cameras and the Ganesh Utsav Committee has kept 20 cameras for surveillance," adds Raj.

Hyd residents happy with clay initiative

Meanwhile, the city's residents are also happy with the clay initiative. "It is really great that this year the committee has taken into consideration the environmental impacts and decided to make the idol using clay. This way, we can reduce pollution to a large extent. People should be encouraged to use clay Ganeshas, big or small, at each and every home," says Rachana, a student of Professor Jayashankar University, who came to see the Khairatabad Ganesha.

Saraswathi, a resident of Irrum Manzil who came to see the Khairatabad Ganesha with her mother-in-law Girija, also appreciated this year's clay initiative. "We have been coming here for the last 5-6 years. Every year they use plaster of paris (PoP) idola but this is the first time they are preparing the idol with clay. It is a great initiative as it is less polluting," said Girija. She also added that she has a clay Ganesha for her home too and insisted that everybody try to shift to eco-friendly Ganesha idols.

People can visit the Khairatabad Ganesha from 5 a.m to 11 p.m.