Amidst the fervour of <keyword id="22936047" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ganesh-Chaturthi-festival" source="keywords">Ganesh Chaturthi festival</keyword>, the markets in <keyword id="19967908" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bhopal" source="keywords">Bhopal</keyword>, the capital city of <keyword id="19898705" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Madhya-Pradesh" source="keywords">Madhya Pradesh</keyword> are seeing high demand of eco-friendly <keyword id="23075516" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lord-Ganesha-idols" source="keywords">Lord Ganesha idols</keyword>. Also, with the aim of spreading awareness of <keyword id="20260229" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="environmental-protection" source="keywords">environmental protection</keyword> and inspiring people towards protecting nature, Lord Ganesha idols prepared from cow dung are being promoted here. "I prefer eco-friendly Lord Ganesha idol every year so that there should be no harm to our nature and we can perform its immersion at home as well. This eco-friendly idol is made up from cow dung and it does not pollute water after immersion. The Lord will remain at our home and if we use it in the pot then, a healthy plant is grown. I will request others too that instead of POP (Plaster of Paris) idols use eco-friendly idols made up of cow dung as it is beneficial for us as well as for nature," said Ashwnini Verma, a local from Bhopal who was in the market to buy the idol. "We have been preparing Ganesha idols using cowdung since 2016 and we have been putting our stall here for the last four years. Now, slowly and gradually we are greeting good responses as people get aware about nature. It doesn't affect water at all. We can also use it as manure for plants. If we immerse it at home then also we can use it as manure for flower pots. It causes no harm to nature," said Hukum Singh Patidar, Member of GauKripa Panchagavya Ayurvedic Sansthan, who was selling idols at the market. "It contains 90 percent cow dung, about five percent wood bark powder is added for binding and remaining eco-friendly colours are used in it. No harmful chemicals are used in any way in the making of these idols," he added.

Madhya Pradesh: Demand for eco-friendly Ganesha idols high in Bhopal's markets

<ul><li>For the upcoming 'Rakshabandhan' festival on August 3, there will be a new, eco-friendly and healthy option for sisters and brothers in Maharashtra - rakhis made of the dung of the pure Indian breed of Gir cow.</li><li>The brainchild of a former banker-turned-academician, Priti R. Tembhare, who runs a 'Gaushala' (cow-shelter) with 200 Gir cows and another 150 abandoned or handicapped cows, oxen or bulls, the attractive, sturdy and <keyword id="9644862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cheap-cowdung-rakhis">cheap cowdung rakhis</keyword> have proved to be popular and in demand this year. </li><li>These humble cowdung rakhis will vie for attention among other rakhis in Mumbai where some affluent 'sisters' spend lakhs of rupees for buying platinum, gold, silver, diamond-studded and other high-end rakhis. </li></ul> For the upcoming 'Rakshabandhan' festival on August 3, there will be a new, eco-friendly and healthy option for sisters and brothers in Maharashtra - rakhis made of the dung of the pure Indian breed of Gir cow. The brainchild of a former banker-turned-academician, Priti R. Tembhare, who runs a 'Gaushala' (cow-shelter) with 200 Gir cows and another 150 abandoned or handicapped cows, oxen or bulls, the attractive, sturdy and cheap cowdung rakhis have proved to be popular and in demand this year. "I started on an experimental basis with around 500 pieces... I personally went for marketing it in Gondia and Nagpur, convincing the distributors and retailers on the benefits of these cowdung rakhis. Initially, they were sceptical, but gradually they seem to have embraced it," an elated Priti Tembhare told IANS from her workshop in Gondia. It was last year that some women in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh started making cowdung rakhis which caught the eyes of people, prompting Tembhare to start a similar initiative in Maharashtra this year. "During the lockdown, many women were rendered jobless in this region... I wanted to do something to make them 'atmanirbhar' with a product that was indigenous, natural and in tune with our age-old traditions... I decided to introduce cowdung rakhis," she said. The small sample resulted in big orders of over 5,000 cowdung rakhis, the last of which are currently being packaged for dispatch, with the rakhis costing between Rs 15 and Rs 50 a piece. These humble cowdung rakhis will vie for attention among other rakhis in Mumbai where some affluent 'sisters' spend lakhs of rupees for buying platinum, gold, silver, diamond-studded and other high-end rakhis. Tembhare explained that making cowdung rakhis or other long-lasting objects is time-consuming, undergoing several processes like drying the cowdung, converting it into fine powder, using neem tree or other natural gums plus seeds of tamarind as binding agent to make the rakhis strong. After Rakshabandhan, she suggests these rakhis can be taped on mobiles, tablets, laptops or other objects emanating harmful rays, which the cowdung reportedly nullifies. A former banker and then an academician, Tembhare was encouraged in the venture by her automobile engineer husband, Rishikumar Tembhare, who has diverted his skills to train villagers in organic farming, watershed management techniques and supplying free water tankers to problem villages in the area. "Through our NGO, Laxmi Gaushala Charitable Trust (LGCT) and an orchard, we earn by selling Gir cow milk and other products, plus different types of fruits... But it was insufficient to take care of the workers, especially the womenfolk during the lockdown. The cowdung rakhis seem to be a promising venture which can help supplement our income," she smiled. Simultaneously, Tembhare plans to launch cowdung idols of Lord Ganesha for the ensuing Ganeshotsav - Maharashtra's biggest public festival - which will be celebrated on a modest scale this year owing to the pandemic. "These small idols of Lord Ganesha are embedded with seeds of certain plants like 'tulsi'... After immersions, they will mix with the earth and new tulsi plants will start sprouting," Tembhare said. On the popularity of the cowdung rakhis, a social media message caught the attention of Mumbai diamond merchant Girish Shah, who runs an NGO Samast Mahajan, and he forwarded it to some persons, and it spread like wildfire, culminating in the large orders. "We toiled hard for three months... It takes around a week to produce one final batch of around 1,000 rakhis... We had several orders from abroad, but we declined as it proved unviable to send by air cargo in view of the Covid-19 flight disruptions," said Tembhare. However, there are many big orders which have been promised for <keyword id="9644863" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rakshabandhan-2021">Rakshabandhan 2021</keyword>, which she will take up immediately after Diwali, and continue ahead the new, healthy and eco-friendly trend of cowdung rakhis. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/dil-bechara-kissing-booth-2-and-other-movies-you-can-watch-on-netflix-amazon-prime-disneyhotstar-this-week/slidelist/77142498.cms">Dil Bechara, Kissing Booth 2 and other movies you can watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+Hotstar this week</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/work-from-home-effect-these-companies-are-shelling-out-for-employees-power-bills-internet-cost-and-more/articleshow/77139229.cms">WFH effect – These companies are paying for employees' power bills, internet cost and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/after-google-pwc-india-declares-a-company-wide-holiday-for-its-employees-this-friday-offers-time-off-for-a-well-deserved-break/articleshow/77125627.cms">After Google, PwC India declares a company-wide holiday for its employees this Friday – offers time off for a 'well-deserved' break</a>

Maharashtra will be celebrating Rakshabandhan with a special "cow dung rakhi"

<keyword id="31981" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Govardhan-Puja" source="Orion">Govardhan Puja</keyword> has its origins during the times of Sri Krishna, the eighth incarnation of <keyword id="177496" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lord-Vishnu" source="Orion">Lord Vishnu</keyword>. Performing Govardhan puja is a part of family traditions in several parts of India. This puja is believed to bless the households with prosperity and abundance. Govardhan puja falls on the Pratipada day in the month of Kartik. Govardhan puja also marks the fourth day of <keyword id="3405" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Diwali-celebrations" source="Orion">Diwali celebrations</keyword>. Most times, this puja coincides with the Gujarati New Year. Here we learn how to do <keyword id="5905230" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Govardhan-Puja-at-Home" source="Orion">Govardhan Puja at home</keyword>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The origin of Govardhan Puja" comment="subhead" text="The origin of Govardhan Puja">The origin of Govardhan Puja</cmsannotation> As a child, Sri Krishna grew up in the household of the village chieftain Nanda and his wife Yashoda in Gokul, the famed Vraj Bumi. Rearing cows and making dairy products was the main occupation of the people in the village. Govardhan was a small hill located in the village. This tiny hill supported the village in several ways by supplying firewood, cow feeds and many others that the households required. In fact, the term Govardhan translates as (Go – Cow and Vardhan – Nourishment) nourishment to the cows. Sri Krishna initiated Govardhan Puja by enjoining the villagers to pay their respect and gratitude to the Govardhan hill once in a year. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Step By Step Procedure of Govardhan Puja" comment="subhead" text="Step By Step Procedure of Govardhan Puja">Step By Step Procedure of Govardhan Puja</cmsannotation> Install a picture of Govardhan hill on a pedestal. Alternatively, some households set up a hill like structure with clay or cow dung and decorate it in several ways to their heart’s content. Place an idol or picture of Lord Krishna next to the hill, decorate it too and start the puja. Light a lamp and incense sticks. Offer roli and rice to Krishna and Govardhan Hill. Offer sugarcane, curd, milk, batasha, laddoo and peda. Wave camphor in front of the puja altar and then say your prayers. After the puja, leave some batasha on the plate with some coins and give it to the needy. Ask some elderly person to read the story of Lakshmi. The attendees of the puja must listen to the story with devotion in rapt attention. At the end of the story session, the household presents the reader of the story with a silver coin, sweets and gifts. The group can circumambulate the hill, prostrate in front of the hill, receive sweets and Prasad and conclude the puja. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The unique specialty of Govardhan Puja" comment="subhead" text="The unique specialty of Govardhan Puja">The unique specialty of Govardhan Puja</cmsannotation> Mythology says it was on the day of Govardhan Puja that Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill with his little finger in order to provide a shelter for the villagers and cows during the torrential downpour that resulted from Indra’s (the king of gods) anger. The hill’s canopy saved the people from the flooding rains. Annakoot Utsav On the day of Govardhan Puja, Annakoot is the most popular event organized by people. As part of this ritual, people heap up a huge pile of food known as ‘Chappan Bhog’ and offer it to Lord Krishna. During the puja, the deities are given a holy bath and decorated gorgeously. At the end, the foods offered to Sri Krishna is distributed among the devotees who share them as Prasad during the feast that follows.

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Madhya Pradesh: Demand for eco-friendly Ganesha idols high in Bhopal's markets

ANI

Maharashtra will be celebrating Rakshabandhan with a special "cow dung rakhi"

IANS

How to do Govardhan Puja at home?

BI India Bureau