Gujarat: Surat woman creates Ganesh idol with 201 coconuts amid COVID restrictions

While the nation is celebrating the Ganesh Chaturthi festival with all the restrictions and precautions, a woman from Surat, following the protocol, has made a Ganesha idol with 201 coconuts in a Surat mall. Aditi Mittal, the Ganesh idol's creator, told ANI that the goal is to avoid damage to the environment and the transmission of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

While speaking with ANI, Aditi said, "I am a dentist by profession and an artist by passion. I have displayed my artistic creation here. It is believed that whenever we start something new, we break the coconuts and start the day." After making this Ganesh idol with 201 coconuts, Aditi went on to say that she hopes and prays that people will be able to get rid of the negativity in their lives. “I have carved out various signs and symbols of gods and goddesses on each of these coconuts," she added. Mittal also informed that coconuts would be distributed as prasada to worshippers.   

The previous instance of the Surat woman making Ganesh Idol

However, this is not the first time Aditi has created something with eco-friendly substances. The previous year, during the Ganesh Chaturthi, she created a Ganesha statue entirely from different kinds of dry fruits. walnuts, roasted peanuts, cashew nuts, pistachio, as well as almonds are among the fruits utilised to build the Ganesh idol. Walnuts were used to make the face, trunk, and body, while cashew nuts were used for the eyes. As per ANI, Mittal's idol was built for display in a special facility that only treats COVID-19 patients. The dry fruits which were used in the idol were handed to the hospital's patients rather than the usual visarjan process. 

Ganesh Puja Guidelines in different states

This year the Ganesh Puja celebration began on 10 September in a very low-key manner. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some state governments have banned public celebrations, enabling devotees to pay homage and participate in the festivities virtually.  

While talking about this year's restrictions, in Maharashtra between September 10 and 19, the Mumbai Police have given instructions under section 144 of the CrPC banning gatherings of five or more people. During this time, no processions of any type will be permitted in the city, and worshippers will not be permitted to visit Ganesh pandals. 

Whereas, the Andhra Pradesh state government would not permit Ganesh pandals or Ganesh idol immersing processions. As a precaution, the Tamil Nadu government forbade Ganesh Chaturthi demonstrations prior to the festival. Yet, individuals are permitted to take Ganesh statues to the beach for immersing, however, public darshan in pandals or idol immersion processions are prohibited by the state government. 

Last week, the Karnataka government issued guidelines for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, permitting only areas with a Covid positive rate of less than 2% to participate. Residents in Uttar Pradesh have been urged to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home and not to exhibit idols in public places, according to the state's administration. 

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: ANI)