Bada Mangal in Lucknow: Organisers for green, eco-friendly ‘bhandaras’ this year - Hindustan Times
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Bada Mangal in Lucknow: Organisers for green, eco-friendly ‘bhandaras’ this year

By, Lucknow
Apr 25, 2023 01:07 AM IST

Lucknow Municipal Corporation has partnered with civil society organisations to promote clean and green community feasts during Bada Mangal. The initiative aims to limit waste like plastic and thermocol plates, polythene bags, and water bottles generated after the community feast. Lucknow-based NGO Mangalman has roped in 100 such organisations that are planning to host eco-friendly community feasts across Lucknow on the first Badamangal. The NGO has also invited people to register on its website for free to avail tips and help on waste disposal.

City residents and civil society organisations have consulted the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) for hosting clean and green bhandaras (community feast) on Bada Mangal from May 9. The idea is to limit waste like plastic and thermocol plates, polythene bags, water bottles, generated after the community feast.

Bada Mangal in Lucknow: Organisers for green, eco-friendly ‘bhandaras’ this year (HT file photo)
Bada Mangal in Lucknow: Organisers for green, eco-friendly ‘bhandaras’ this year (HT file photo)

Bada Mangal would be celebrated on four Tuesdays of May including May 9, 16, 23 and 30.

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Lucknow-based NGO Mangalman in collaboration with LMC, has roped in 100 such organisations that are planning to host community feast across Lucknow on the first Badamangal. “In these bhandaras instead of items of non-biodegradable material, all eco-friendly items will be used. We will keep the waste in a sack which will be disposed of later with LMC’s help. These 100 bhandara organisers will then guide other bhandaras for the remaining Tuesdays in May,” said Ramkumar Tiwari, founder member of NGO.

“Bhandara organisers can register themselves on our website (https://mangalman.in/) for free and after registration they will get help on how to ensure waste disposal from our volunteers with the help of LMC. For more registrations, we have also given contacts of caterers, tents, decorators, sound etc in our website,” said Tiwari who also teaches Physics at the BSNV PG College (KKV). This NGO was set up in 2019 solely to deal with the problem of waste.

“Apart from bhandara waste collection during Bada Mangal, we have been collecting idols and puja waste during Diwali and other festivals which people either leave under trees on roads or immerse them in rivers. We have been collecting idols and puja materials and burying them in deep pits in an environment-friendly manner,” said Tiwari.

“In 2022, we collected 1,25000 lakhs discarded idols from streets during Diwali and disposed them. During Covid, Mangalman Abhiyan also distributed bhandara prasad (offering) door to door and also helped distribute rations to poor,” he added.

Another civil society organisation, Vishwam Foundation, too plans to get 4000 volunteers from Lucknow and its outskirts to give the message of cleanliness.

“These volunteers, mostly from NCC, NSS and school and college students will hold placards with cleanliness messages in bhandaras in their areas. They will also collect waste that people throw on roads,” said UP Tripathi, founder of Vishwam Foundation and member of Exnora Lucknow, an organisation working on environment and plant conservation.

Novel initiative

A city NGO Mangalman has invited people to register on its website (https://mangalman.in/) for free to avail tips and help on how to ensure waste disposal from its volunteers. It has also given contacts of caterers, tents, decorators and sound system people etc in its website for more traffic. This NGO was set up in 2019 solely to deal with the problem of waste.

Apart from bhandara waste collection, this NGO has also collected idols and puja waste during Diwali and other festivals and burying it in deep pits in an environment-friendly manner.

In 2022 this NGO collected 1,25000 lakhs discarded idols from streets during Diwali and disposed them. During Covid, Mangalman Abhiyan also distributed bhandara prasad (offering) door to door and also helped distribute rations to poor.

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