GHMC, ISKCON collect over a tonne of sacred material in Project Udvasana drive

The second edition of Project Udvasana, organised by GHMC and ISKCON, collected over a tonne of sacred material at a temple in Yellareddyguda. The initiative promotes the respectful and environmentally responsible disposal of religious items through ritual procedures and recycling.

Hyderabad: The second edition of Project Udvasana, aimed at disposal of sacred material, taken up by the GHMC in association with ISKCON, was held at Sri Hanuman Temple in Yellareddyguda, Ameerpet, on Saturday. The first drive was held last week at ISKCON temple in Banjara Hills as part of a pilot project in the city.

People thronged the temple along with bags of sacred material from 8 am onwards and up to 11 am. Some also brought idols of different deities made of ‘Plaster of Paris’ (PoP) and handed them over to the organisers.

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The drive collectively collected over a ton of sacred items, including framed photographs of deities, PoP idols, and idols made from wood and plastic. It also brought in wall calendars and table calendars featuring deities, spiritual books, and other sacred material, indicating substantial public involvement and support.

“Many individuals are unaware of the proper way to dispose of sacred material and therefore tend to leave them in temple premises, near trees, or by the roadside. In some cases, they also send it along with the Ganesh idols procession during Ganesh idol immersion,” said Srikar Reddy, in charge of Udvasana drive in GHMC.

After receiving the sacred material during the drive, the temple priest carries out a traditional Udvasana puja followed by segregation according to type, such as cardboard, wood, plastic, and glass, he said. This material will be sent to the recyclers and enable reuse of material, said the GHMC official.

Those partnering the initiative can contact sustainability.cure@gmail.com.

“Throwing sacred material away as litter could be considered a sin. Now, the GHMC has started disposing of sacred material in a systematic way, and that is an appreciable step.”

– Lalitha, retired central govt employee, Malkajgiri

“Finally, we have a right way to dispose of the sacred material. The GHMC must roll out this drive throughout the city and build awareness about it.”

– Supriya, IT professional