Social activist ensures respectful immersion of discarded idols

We mark 101 centres all over the city and urge denizens to place the old sets of idols at these centres. We hire auto rickshaws and loaders and get these idols collected three or four days after Diwali,”, said social activist Sunil Dubey.

Agra For the fourth consecutive year, a social activist of the Taj city was yet again busy post Deepawali, gathering discarded idols of deities. Finally, on Friday, he arranged for respectful immersion of these idols on the bank of river Yamuna.

Idols of Ganesh and Laxmi being immersed in trench dug on bank of river Yamuna in Agra on Friday afternoon. (HT)

“What pained me most was the casual manner in which these idols, mostly those of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi were left at awkward places all over the city. Denizens bring new sets of idols every Diwali but are very casual while disposing of the old ones.. We find them placed under ‘peepal’ trees, on foot paths and in worse still, in garbage piles and even alongside drains,” said Sunil Dubey, the convenor of this campaign undertaken by a team of activists.

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“The matter was taken up by the ‘Brahmin Parishad’ and the result was this campaign after Diwali every year. We mark 101 centres all over the city and urge denizens to place the old sets of idols at these centres. We hire auto rickshaws and loaders and get these idols collected three or four days after Diwali,” he said.

“We are thankful to Agra Nagar Nigam for the support it extends, getting a trench dug on the bank of river Yamuna,” said Dubey who is convinced that he has sufficient reason to continue with his campaign.

‘We are getting a good response and like past years, the results were encouraging this year. We did not confine ourselves to centres but picked up old idols lying under ‘peepal’ trees, on footpaths and along drains and collected four tractor- loads,” he said.

“The Agra Nagar Nigam had got a trench dug on Hathi Ghat along river Yamuna where pairs of Ganesh Laxmi idols beside others were immersed on Friday afternoon. Eleven Brahmins chanted ‘mantras’ for ceremonious ‘visarjan’ (disposal) of these idols,” added Sunil Dubey.