Ganesh Chaturthi

With depleting water bodies and pollution on the rise, two IT Engineers took it in their hands to changed the way people immersed Ganesha idols in the this small village.

"It hurts when you see your god lying in bits and pieces. We don't have the right to mess with our environment for the sake of a festival,"

James Wales landed in India upon invitation from Sir Charles Malet, a diplomat for the East India Company stationed in the court of the Peshwa Marathas.

With the public becoming increasingly conscious about the fragile state of the environment, many are doing their bit to ensure that they only opt for eco-friendly idols and decorations. Taking this thought forward, many mandals have also decided to join the bandwagon and go green.

A resident of Chembur, T V Sudhakar, is giving away 1,000 clay Ganapati idols to Mumbaikars for free this Ganesh Chaturthi!

Abhay Kardeguddi and Nachiket Thakur have come up with do-it-yourself 'Eco Makhars' (decorations) made of recycled paper.

These clay idols that are painted with natural dyes are inserted with a sapling.

Here are 10 recent examples of communal harmony, friendship, love, selflessness and warmth that will help restore your faith in humanity. And in the country called India.

In these days of increasing water pollution due to the large number of Ganpati idols used during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations every year, there is one village that is setting a brilliant example of how the festival can be celebrated the eco-friendly way.

Why we need eco-friendly Ganesha idols, a Japanese civil engineer working in Bengaluru Metro, children's take on what life will be after 99 years and many more such interesting stories from around the web in this new series.