Kids mould Ganesh idols out of veggies

MUMBAI: Nearly 400 schoolchildren participated in a workshop at the Powai-based Rodas Ecotel on Thursday to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols from recyclable materials like clay and even vegetables.
Organised by the Young Environmentalists Programme Trust, the workshop was attended by Mumbai\rquote s deputy mayor Shailaja Girkar, Femina Miss India Earth 2010 Nicole Faria, local NCP member Pallavi Sanjay Patil, American actor-writer Gary Richardson and model Prachi Shah, among others.
"It was heart-warming to watch tiny hands making eco-friendly idols which they will take home and worship during the coming Ganesh festival. The use of harmful plaster-of-paris (POP) is detrimental to our lakes, ponds and sea at the time of immersions," said the founder of Young Environmentalists Programme, Elsie Gabriel.
Actor-writer Gary Richardson, who also staged an eco-skit on the fast disappearing open public spaces, said: "It is wonderful to know just how eco-sensitive the children are today. They also want to join the citizens\rquote demand of stopping the installation of artificial fountains in the Powai Lake."
A large section of Powai residents has been consistently urging the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to drop the plan of installing three fountains inside the lake as it will spoil the natural beauty of the lake, and also add to the maintenance costs of the running the electricity powered fountains.
Some of the schools that participated in the event are Billabong School (Juhu), Bombay Scottish (Powai), Hiranandani Foundation (Powai) and Kendriya Vihar (Bhandup).