Artist turns Durga Puja into an opportunity to raise public awareness

Kolkata: In an effort to raise public awareness of recycling, a local artist in Kolkata has created an idol of the goddess Durga out of waste. The idol will be installed at the City Centre 1 shopping centre in Salt Lake City. It is constructed out of materials like discarded clothing, worn-out shoes, dusted wooden objects, cracked flower vases, and outdated newspapers. According to Arijit Ghatak, the craftsman who is creating the idol in his workshop, the waste materials have been gathered over the past month from various locations in Kolkata. According to a representative of 92.7 Big FM, which has taken the initiative, visitors will be informed about the waste materials used in the creation of the idol because no one can understand by looking at the finished product.   “Since we cannot deviate from the traditions, a small idol made will also be installed for the rituals,” he said. Bengali actor Rituparna Sengupta, who is the face of the campaign, said it is the responsibility of Kolkata’s citizens to make it a green city. “It’s our duty to make Kolkata a greener city for future generations, and ensure conscious and sustainable living. What better time for creating this awareness than the Durga Puja, when the entire city erupts in joy,” she said. A community Durga Puja committee in north Kolkata has installed an 11-feet idol made of fibre and ashtadhatu, also called octo alloy. Mintu Pal, the artisan who created the 1-ton idol for Beniatola Sarbajanin, claimed it to be the most expensive idol of the goddess in West Bengal. “It will be permanent and worshipped throughout the year,” he said. Another Puja committee has created a 10-feet idol made of silicon. The goddess has been depicted as a mother with a baby in her lap, and her three children sitting by her side. The demon is also seen near her with folded hands. “It is the only silicon idol made in the state. Here, we have depicted Goddess Durga as ‘Barir Bou’, or housewife who takes care of the household and slays the demon at the same time. We are celebrating women’s power,” a spokesperson of Nawpara Dadabhai Sangha in Baranagar said. Read all the **_Latest News_** _, _ **_Trending News_** _, _ **_Cricket News_** _, _ **_Bollywood News_** _, _ **_India News_** and **_Entertainment News_** here. Follow us on Facebook_, _ Twitter and Instagram_._