On any day in the month preceding Ganesh Chaturthi, the Nunna mango market near Vijayawada becomes a beehive of activity. While some workers are busy sculpting Ganesh idols, others are engrossed in giving finishing touches to them.
Despite clear guidelines from the Central Pollution Control Board to only use idols made of clay and shun those made of Plaster of Paris (PoP), most of the over-6,000 idols in the market here are made of PoP.
Every idol, ranging from seven to ten feet in height, has the same set of eyes and other facial features. The difference lies in the design, colours and background. While one idol has an angry-looking Lord Hanuman next to it, another has the Ayodhya temple as the backdrop with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ written on it.
