Durga Puja Sans Plastic

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Eco-friendly priests set for 'green' Durga Puja

 

21 September, 2007

Kolkata

 

Durga Puja, the biggest carnival of Bengalis, is all set to

go eco-friendly this year with a prominent body of the

priests ordering its members to perform the rituals sans

plastic.

 

Vaidik Pandit O. Purohit Mahamilan Kendra, an

organisation of priests performing pujas, issued the

diktat to all its members in West Bengal, urging them

not to use plastic in any form while performing the

prayer rituals.

 

According to the diktat, no devotee can offer garlands,

flowers or fruits in polythene carry bags. Plastic flowers

used for decorating idols and plastic pouches for

distributing bhog (food of the goddess) would also be

barred this year.

 

" We want all puja pandals (marquees) to be eco-friendly

this year and only biodegradable embellishments should

be encouraged for decoration, " Kendra president Nemai

Chakraborty said.

 

He said apart from environmental pollution, the huge

quantity of plastic used during Durga Puja could lead to

disaster if a fire broke out.

 

There are 250 priests in the organisation. They are

associated with 1,038 Durga Pujas in and around

Kolkata.

 

The decision to ban the use of plastic for the festival was

taken by all members of the organisation last month.

 

Apart from placing a ban on the use of plastic, the

member priests have also been asked to discourage the

use of candles and wax during the coming festival.

 

Instead, the priests have been asked to promote diyas

that are filled with ghee or oil. " We have banned the use

of candles and wax since these are made of paraffin,

which is injurious to health, " Chakraborty said.

 

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