Idols: earth to earth
It is an example to common people who want to re-unite religious devotion with nature. After seven years of long struggle, two organisations working in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, have achieved a dramatic result by convincing people not to immerse idols in rivers and lakes. Instead, nearly 3,500 idols of Lord Ganpati were placed at an alternative site in August 1999.
The two organisations, the Maharashtra Rajya Prarthamik Siksha Samiti (MRPSS, or the Maharashtra Primary School Teachers' Association) and the Andhabiswas Nirmulan Samiti (ANS, or the committee for eradication of blind faith), are working towards eradication of superstitions and generating a scientific temperament. ANS's campaign includes critical interpretation of rituals and providing alternatives, says Narendra Dabholkar, one of the founders of ANS.
The movement was started about 10 years ago by some like-minded people through discussions, workshops and small programmes in educational institutions regarding superstitions and other social issues. "Although the issue of pollution from religious rituals had been in our mind, we did not jump into it immediately as religious sentiments are attached to it," says K D Khurda, a retired teacher and a senior member of ANS.
Ganpati Utsav is perhaps the most important festival in Maharashtra. Thousands of Ganpati idols of varying shape, height and colours are made each year. More than 60 tonnes of nirmalya (leaves and flowers used in puja) are generated each year, according to Khurda. Everything goes into the river after the festival. "Rivers get clogged and we get diseases like jaundice due to the pollution," says Khurda. Following initial success in the movement to eradicate superstitions, ANS gradually took the first tentative step in the direction of religious rituals. "If we would have asked for the idols in the first place, there might have been bloodshed. So we began in a small way with the nirmalya ," Khurda recalls. "We began creating awareness through teachers' camps and workshops, asking students not to throw away the nirmalya after puja but to gather it for use as manure or to be taken away by the municipality trucks," says Dabholkar. The campaign paid off. People started gathering nirmalya and giving it to the municipality trucks.
Thereafter, ANS members decided to move on to the issue of idol immersion. "With the help of the teachers, the children were shown slides of the state of pollution and pictures of people defecating on the immersed idols," says Sudhakar Sawant, a schoolteacher. They motivated students not to immerse the idols. The children, in turn, carried the message to their parents, relatives and neighbours. The campaign went on for two-three years. Each successive year, the impact was increasing. "In 1998, we decided to do a systematic campaign on a bigger scale," says Dabholkar. They again targeted the schoolchildren. In August 1999, they had a seminar involving more than 150 schools where students and their parents were invited. They were explained the polluting aspects of immersions. Their scheme was simple. A huge tumbler filled with water was kept at the sites of immersion. People performed the ritualistic immersion in the tumbler and then "donated" the idol to the ASN to be placed at an alternative site. The municipality was also roped in. "We took the matter to the mayor of Kolhapur, Kanchan Rao Kawai, who was the first to donate the idol," says Khurda. The turnout was immense. Every bit of nirmalya went into the municipality trucks.
Reshma Maruti Patil, a student of 10th standard at Karamba, a village at the outskirts of Kolhapur, recalls her experience of convincing her parents and neighbours: "When we first told our parents about the donation of the idols, they laughed and said it was an absurd idea. But I said I won't talk to them if they do not listen to me." Parents relented. They now know all about pollution from religious festivals and what to do about it. The campaign achieved what people are apprehensive to talk about. It has also shown that moulding children in the right direction can do wonders. The role of teachers was also highlighted. Says Arde: "Teachers have always been respected in the society. If they can use this position in a positive manner, they can work miracles.