Ganesh Chaturthi, one of the most-awaited Indian festivals, calls for some much-needed revelry with family and friends. However, at the same time, one cannot ignore the environmental impact of such large-scale celebrations. The use of chemicals, Plaster of Paris and other non-biodegradable elements that go into the making of idols leave a destructive trail at the end of the festivities. The good part is that awareness regarding eco-friendly idols is gradually rising and many people are making their own idols with recyclable items as well as food ingredients. Taking this idea forward, a Ludhiana-based baker has created a 200-kg idol of the god out of Belgian chocolate!
Harjinder Singh Kukreja, the baker, said in an Instagram post that it took 10 chefs over 10 days to come up with the edible idol of Lord Ganesh. The noble thought behind the project won our hearts. The idol won't be immersed in a water body.
Kukreja added in the caption, “Our edible chocolate Lord Ganesha is a sweet reminder of all things good. We plan to do Visarjan (immersion) in milk and distribute Chocolate Milk Prasad to underprivileged kids in slum areas.”
This is Kukreja's 6th year of such effort. See the video here:
In 2019, Kukreja had made a similar Ganesh idol with over 100 kg of chocolate. He had tweeted a photo of himself with the idol, and stated that “it took a team of 20 chefs, 10 days and 100+ kgs Belgian Chocolate to make this eco-friendly Ganesha”.
Instead of immersing the idol, even then Kukreja had dissolved it in milk to make chocolate milk, and distributed that among underprivileged kids. Read more about it here.
(Also read : Ganesh Chaturthi Recipe: Make This Nutty Chocolate Modak And Make Your Festivities Even Sweeter)
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in many states, especially Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka. The celebrations will end after 10 days on Anant Chaturdashi.