Simple is Beautiful

Simple is Beautiful

It is that time of the year when the entire state of Maharashtra gears up to welcome Lord Ganesh. The festive feeling is already in the air — on your way back home or perhaps while you are sipping your evening tea, you can hear dhol pathaks practising their dhol-tasha beats in full swing.

Families and individuals are flocking to idol makers to bring home their favourite Ganapati idol, sweet shops are readying their modaks, ladoos and cloth markets are bringing out their best sarees and other traditional outfits. Before the 10-day long festivity begins, those bringing Ganapati home are prepping up to decorate their homes — starting from cleaning to beautifying the house with torans, lights, rangolis, curtains and so on. Some even opt for new furniture.

Over the years, the awareness for eco-friendly Ganapati celebrations has increased. In fact, right from the material used in making the idols to the  immersion, people are taking care that they do not harm the environment. That is why it is also important for us to look beyond the fancy décor items available in the market and get back to the roots  by using items such as flowers, leaves, earthen pots, old clothes and so on. Says Deepti Dalvi, a city-based interior decorator, who celebrates Ganapati every year by going completely eco-friendly, “The festivity, fun, fervour is important but showing your concern for the nature and this globe shouldn’t take a back-seat. The message being that the celebration is to bring us closer to our roots and nature while keeping the spirit of the festival alive.”

Vasudha Patil, another designer from the city, feels that while thinking of an eco-friendly décor, one must attempt at recycling and upcycling what is available at home and must not miss on optimum utilisation of resources. These are easy and pocket friendly. She shares some tips with us:

Floral rangolis
Any Indian festival is incomplete without rangolis and Ganapati certainly calls for it. Making a rangoli at the entrance of your house is considered very auspicious. Ditch chemical-based colours and paints, use materials that are eco-friendly like flowers and leaves. For colours, you can use different flower petals. You can also use grocery products like turmeric, kumkum, flour and rice.

The drapes
Instead of buying new curtains and spending more money or adding to the by-product by dyeing cloths, you can use duppattas and sarees to decorate the walls, windows and doors too. This adds a touch of ethnicity to your home.

Illuminate
Electrical illumination sure is enchanting but using earthen lamps or diyas instead is a great way to think green. Using clay diyas not only cuts down the electricity bill but also cause less pollution. Diyas also enhance the beauty of the house.

Pottery
What better way than using earthen pots to beautify your homes while decorating your house for Ganapati celebration. You can paint earthen pots in vibrant hues and use them as centre pieces in your house. They give you a break from all fancy and expensive decor pieces and transport you to a rural setup.

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