Eco-friendly Ganpati crafted from carpet ind scrap | Lucknow News

Lucknow: The ‘Vighnaharta’ (removal of hurdles, as Lord Ganesh is known) assumed a sustainable avatar in Mirzapur district, thanks to an ‘out of the box, responsible tourism idea’. Carpet waste, mainly yarn remnants and fibre waste from carpet and durrie-making households, along with residual marble powder from Chunar, went into a sturdy mix of clay to served as base for these Ganesh idols.Organised by state tourism department the eco-friendly Ganpati making workshop promoted responsible tourism and sustainability. The first such workshop, held at the Euro Public School, Mirzapur, was attended by 50 school children, 15 volunteers, teachers, heritage enthusiasts and wellness practitioners.Coordinator Farakh Nargis Abbas said children were first taught to recycle waste material to make the clay and then trained to make idols using it.“The waste-to-wealth innovation is designed to instil circular economy values, showing waste can be transformed into art, spirituality and heritage,” said Prakhar Mishra, director (ecotourism), adding that in addition to sustainable idol-making, the effort integrated sessions on conservation, restoration, storytelling and heritage awareness, giving children direct exposure to how festivals can be celebrated responsibly.“By placing Ganesh as symbol of purity and ecological awareness, the week-long event sends a powerful message that cultural traditions and environmental preservation can go hand in hand,” he said.Lauding the effort, tourism and culture minister Jaiveer Singh said, “We are turning festivals into platforms for awareness and action. The activity in Mirzapur is first case in point.”Tourism principal secretary Mukesh Kumar Meshram said UP was embracing sustainability in tourism sector in all possible ways. “The exponential growth of tourist footfall in Vindhyachal and Mirzapur has made responsibility and sustainability critical to the place and seeds are being sown through such efforts,” he said.Mishra said that by linking ODOP heritage, faith, and eco-tourism, as in this case, govt was sending the message that festivals were meant to celebrate, conserve and create a sustainable future and the best part was that it was being done through children.