Visit our Online Store
3 quick DIY eco-friendly Ganapati idol making ideas
Aug 19, 2020
With less than a week left, preparations are in full swing to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. One of the biggest festivals across the country, Ganeshotsav is celebrated for 10-11 days, which begins with getting Lord Ganesha home, decorating homes and idols, enjoying mouth-watering delicacies with family and immersion of the Ganesha idols on the last day. However, considering the coronavirus pandemic, the immersion of the idol could be problematic this year. This Ganesh Chaturthi, be eco-conscious and take steps to safeguard our environment from harmful pollutants.
With the festival knocking at the door, we take a look at 3 simple, quick, time-saving and eco-friendly Ganapati idol making procedures that you can easily make at home.
Ganesha Idol making using Papier Mache technique:
Eco-friendly, lightweight, strong and easy to handle, paper mache (also known as Papier Mache) idols adds an innovative festive look to your home while protecting the environment at the same time.
| Materials Required | For Decoration |
| Old newspapers or magazines – As per requirement | Ornamental stones |
| Plain flour – 1 cup | |
| Water – 1 cup |
Method:
Step 1: For making paper mache, first you need to tear papers (newspapers or magazines) into small pieces. Take a deep bottomed pan and boil the papers for 10-15 mins or till it becomes tender. Allow it to cool for some time.
Step 2: Squeeze the water completely from the paper pieces and keep it aside.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix one-part flour with one part of water (For example - 1 cup flour and 1 cup water) until you get a thick glue-like consistency. If the mixture is too thick, add water slowly to get the desired consistency. Combine properly with a spoon to get rid of all the lumps.
Step 4: Add paper pulp to the paper mache and knead it well to make a soft and malleable dough.
Step 5: Take the paper mache dough and make 1 big sized ball for the belly portion of the idol, two thick long coils for the back and the legs, one small coil for the crown, two petal shapes for the ears, two hands, one cylindrical shape for the trunk of the Ganapati, one small Modak and two small tusks out of it.
Step 6: To give a structure to the idol, first assemble two thick coils along with the big sized ball of the belly area of the idol.
Step 7: Gradually, assemble all the rest of the body parts together to form the idol. With the help of a spatula, you can give a sharp shape to the edges of the idol.
Step 8: Dip your fingers in the water and rub your finger over the idol to remove all the cracks from the paper mache.
Step 9: Pierce holes to make the eyes. Make depression on the navel and forehead for the tika/tilak of Ganesha.
Step 10: Leave it to dry for 1-2 days. With the rainy season, you don’t have the mercy of the sun for drying purposes. A good way to handle drying is to choose either a fan or an air cooler. Bajaj Electricals offers a wide range of appliances that will prove an asset in these gloomy days.
Please note, the size of the Ganapati idol will shrink after drying.
Step 11: Decorate your Ganapati Bappa with ornamental stones.
Ganapati idol making using food ingredients:
This Ganapati Festival, let’s try to not harm the environment. After all, we are fortunate to be in this beautiful world and it’s time we take care of it. Presenting an easy DIY idol making with simple ingredients that are almost available in every household.
| Ingredients: |
| Plain flour – 1 cup |
| Rice flour – 1/3 cup |
| Water – ½ cup |
| Cooking oil – 1 tbsp |
| Apple cider vinegar – ¼ cup |
| Salt – ½ cup |
| Small threads |
| Toothpicks or skewers |
| Oil spray |
| Cake sprinkles |
| Food colours (Any) |
Method:
Step 1: Take a large saucepan and mix all the ingredients properly. You may add any colour of your choice (orange, red, blue or green). If you want to use more than one colour, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan in different parts.
Step 2: Stir over low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture binds together properly. Allow the mixture to cool for some time.
Step 3: Knead it to a smooth dough. After kneading for 5 minutes, brush the surface of the dough with a little oil if the dough appears dry.
Step 4: Take out small parts of the dough and shape the idol. Assemble all the rest parts of the body together to form the idol with the help of a skewer/toothpick to give support.
Step 5: You can use cake sprinkles to decorate the crown of the Ganapati idol.
Step 6: With the help of some thread, make holy thread and tie it over the shoulder of the idol.
Step 7: Oil spray the whole idol to give it a final shine. If your idol turns a bit dry after 2-3 days, apply oil with cotton and brush over the idol.
Your eco-friendly Ganapati Bappa is ready in minutes!
Ganapati Idol making using vegetables:
Be it chocolate or vegetables, this Chaturthi, let’s welcome our dearest Ganapati Bappa in a unique, eco-friendly and edible way. You can make this idol on the day of the Chaturthi.
| Ingredients: |
| Baby Potato – 1 |
| Beetroot – 1 |
| Green Chillies – 2 |
| Raw turmeric – 2 |
| Baby spinach – 2 |
| Black peppercorns – 2 |
| Carrot – 1 |
| Cherry tomatoes – 2 |
| Toothpicks – As needed |
Method:
Step 1: To make the idol from the scratch, join baby potato and beetroot to make the belly area. You can use toothpicks to join the body parts.
Step 2: To make the legs, join green chillies with the beetroot.
Step 3: To make hands, you can either use raw turmeric (kachchi haldi) or little gourd (Kundru).
Step 4: To make the face of the idol, join a curvy green chilli to make the trunk while you can use baby spinach leaves to make your Bappa’s ears.
Step 5: Press black peppercorns to make the eyes and use the leafy top of the carrot to make Bappa's crown.
Step 6: Small cherry tomatoes can be used to make the laddoos. Once you assemble all the parts, brush it with a little oil for texturing.
Tip: If you want to make a large idol, you can use round bottle gourd for the stomach area. Similarly, snake gourd can be used to make hands and legs.
This Ganesh Chaturthi, bring the change and go-green!
Comments
Be the first one to comment. See all Hide