Vijay Deverakonda urges clay idols for pollution-free Ganesh Chaturthi

Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda promoted eco-friendly clay and seed Ganesh idols through the Green India Challenge, urging households and organisers to avoid Plaster of Paris idols and instead nurture saplings grown from seed idols after immersion.

Hyderabad: Tollywood actor Vijay Deverakonda on Thursday urged people to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with eco-friendly clay and seed idols to prevent pollution in cities and water bodies.

Deverakonda received a Vittana Ganapati, or Seed Ganesha, from Green India Challenge. In a video released from his residence, he displayed the seed idol in a natural pot and said using safe Matti Ganapati and Vittana Ganapati idols would prevent pollution. A plant would grow from the idol after the festival, he said.

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He thanked the organisers and wished people a happy Ganesh Chaturthi, which will be observed on September 14, 2026.

Green India Challenge founder and former Rajya Sabha member J Santosh Kumar and the campaign’s co-founders have distributed Seed Ganesha idols to film personalities, public representatives and families across Telangana.

“Green India Challenge promotes Seed Ganesha idols made from natural clay, cocopeat and coconut fibre, with seeds of native trees such as neem and tamarind embedded. After puja, the idol can be immersed in soil at home, where the clay dissolves and seeds germinate. The living plant can later be transplanted,” the organisation said.

Launched in 2018 and inspired by Telangana’s Haritha Haram programme, the campaign encourages people to plant three saplings, nurture them for three years and nominate three others.

The organisation has urged households, housing societies, temples and public pandal organisers to choose clay and seed idols, immerse them at home and nurture the saplings, reducing the use of Plaster of Paris and chemically painted idols that pollute lakes and rivers.