Kamdhenu Aayog targets selling 10K Cow Dung Ganesha Idols this Fest

Rajkot: With a target to make 10,000 cow dung Ganesha idols, the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog started a campaign from Rajkot on Thursday facilitating the city’s gaushalas (cowsheds) to achieve their lofty aim. Aayog will help the administrators of these cowsheds not only find artisans for the idols but also, moulds, raw materials and dyes besides a market to sell their products.

Chairman Vallabh Kathiriya on Thursday held an ideation meeting with many gaushala administrators to strategize for its execution. “We are in talks with local firms to provide material for the idols and also we will find market including NGOs and Khadi bhandars to help us sell these idols. We will also promote the eco-friendly and non-polluting idol among devotees,” Kathiriya said.

Kathiriya further said that the concept of cow dung Ganesha idols is getting popular in some of the states in south and north India. Trustee of Rajkot’s Karuna trust, which is coordinating between gaushala administrators and the Kamdhaenu Aayog, Mittal Khetani said, “We have set a target of making 10,000 cow dung idols in this Ganpati Mahotsav. Five artists have come forward to help the gaushalas make the idols. As big celebrations of the Ganapati festival is prohibited this year, we are expecting demand for smaller idols to rise for individual homes.”

The Aayog also plans to make idols of goddess Lakshmi and clay bowls of cow dung during Diwali. “We want to create an industry based on cow dung which will help the cow breeders,” Kathiriya added.