For 31 years, a family from Kalyan, Maharashtra, has been creating a statue of the god Ganesha from wheat seeds, which sprout to form the deity’s image, instead of using traditional materials such as plaster or clay. This approach avoids environmental pollution after the festival.
The Birth of a Living Statue
The process begins a few days before the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Pratiksha Marathe’s father prepares the base by mixing sifted soil with water and spreading it in a layer about an inch thick on a large platter. Pratiksha then traces the outline of Ganesha, while her mother selects good-quality wheat seeds. The seeds are carefully arranged along the outline, with enough space for them to grow. The family recites the Gayatri Mantra 12 times, creating a peaceful atmosphere conducive to growth. The platter is placed in sunlight and watered twice a day. After five days, the seeds have grown into thick green grass that forms a recognisable image of Ganesha.
The first shoots appear as early as the second day, and within a few days they reach a height of about 30 centimetres, creating an almost magical effect. Children from neighbouring homes often come to see this marvel, imagining a giant version visible from the sky.
The Evolution of the Tradition and the Move Away from Single-Use Materials
This tradition began in 1995, when the family started thinking about the consequences of immersing statues in water after the festival. Initially, they switched to Shadu clay, but even this raised questions about whether it returned fully to nature. In 2020, during the pandemic, when buying figurines was difficult, the family turned to the idea of ‘Vanaspati Ganesh’, which they had learnt about through their longstanding collaboration with the Manashakti Research Centre. This method became their annual ritual.
The two-day celebration retains all the important aspects of Ganesh Chaturthi: pujas, aartis, homemade modaks and laddus. Instead of immersing the statue, the family performs a symbolic visarjan by lowering a supari nut into water. The wheatgrass is harvested and eaten as prasad, while the soil is either reused the following year or added to houseplants. Even the decorations have changed: the family has replaced polystyrene foam with cardboard flowers and paper decorations, reflecting their philosophy that festivities should not be wasteful.
The Festival’s Deeper Meaning and Lessons
For Pratiksha, ‘Vanaspati Ganesh’ is not just an environmentally friendly alternative but also a therapeutic process. She believes this approach is a reminder of the importance of retaining the ability to think, assess situations and solve problems, especially in an age of growing dependence on technology. The festival becomes a reminder to be grateful and show empathy towards one another.
The Marathe family does not seek to strip the festival of its social dimension: visits from neighbours, communal aartis and homemade treats. They believe that the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi can evolve, offering families various options, such as making clay idols at workshops, using artificial ponds for visarjan or taking part in beach clean-ups after the festivities. The wheatgrass that forms their ‘Vanaspati Ganesh’ completes its cycle, growing from seed into food and returning to the family in another form.
Source: The Better India : Latest Posts
