In the last few years, strict judicial interventions and government initiatives have driven idol makers and civic bodies to adopt ways to curb the increasing rate of pollution during Durga Puja. This year Berger Paints Ltd and Snowcem Paints have joined hands with idol makers of Kolkata to preserve the environment.

Goddess Durga, who according to Hindu mythology was empowered with ten different deadly weapons by various Gods to kill Mahishasura and save the world, can turn into a saviour once again by rescuing the Ganga river from the pollution asura (demon) by prompting her devotees to create bio-friendly idols.

The pollution-asura is a human creation – borne out of ignorance by using bio-hazardous materials for making the idols that have been immersed in water-bodies for centuries and eventually threatening their fragile ecology.

Berger Paints has initiated a project to educate the artists in Kumartuli, the idol maker's bastion in Kolkata, by distributing about 60 litres of “eco safe” paints amongst the artists for free.

Responding to a few queries from Business Line , Abhijit Roy, Director and Chief Operating Officer of Berger Paints said: “Earlier artists used to apply enamel-based paints, which are highly hazardous for life on earth. But the product we are offering has very low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).”

VOCs are organic chemicals that have very high vapour pressure at normal temperature and extremely bio-hazardous. The aqueous based “Breathe Easy” paints are costlier than the traditional “khari mati,” a type of limestone soluble in water.

“One litre of ‘Breathe Easy' paint costs Rs 280 and a 30-kg-pack of ‘khari mati' is available at a price of Rs 120. We will be able to paint at least 10 sets of idols with the 30 kg pack but the paint is hardly sufficient to paint five or six idols”, says Apurba Pal, an artist in Kumartuli.

Another artist Biswanath Pal, who enjoys the new colour said: “Using the paint is much easier than traditional lime stones. Moreover, we were mixing the locally produced colours with ‘Khari Mati' to get desired colours for the idols, but now we can use stain with the new paint.”

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