Mumbai: The old joke about losing one’s footwear outside a temple took an unexpected turn in Lalbaug-Parel on Saturday evening, when thousands of devotees who gathered for Ganesh idol arrival processions ended up leaving behind more than just memories of the celebrations.
“Ganeshotsav in Lalbaug-Parel is unique. We have several idol workshops here, and many mandals visit the area. On the day of the aagman, thousands of devotees come to the ward.
On August 29, [Chinchpokli Cha] Chintamani Ganpati was welcomed, and there was a huge crowd.
Around four metric tonnes of footwear—approximately one dumper load—was collected from areas including Bharatmata Junction, Jijabai Lane and the Chinchpokli railway station stretch, according to civic officials. After dancing during the procession, many devotees discarded their footwear,” said Vrushali Ingule, assistant commissioner, F/South ward.
Civic workers began the clean-up around 10 pm. A team of around 50 labourers was deployed from Bharatmata Junction to Parel Naka,” added Ingule. “We had our dumpers and sanitation workers ready. To do this, the civic body has partnered with the GreenSole Foundation, an NGO that refurbishes and upcycles footwear. “We have conducted need assessments in schools serving tribal communities. We also provide school bags and mats. We approach sponsors based on our ready database of requirements. The NGO subsequently submitted a proposal to recycle and refurbish discarded footwear collected during Ganpati processions.
“We will distribute shoes and slippers among children in tribal areas,” said Raju Srinivas, founder of GreenSole Foundation. The initial collection on the first day of the initiative, during the Chinchpokli Cha Chintamani aagman procession, was about one dumper load, according to Srinivas. “Sometimes we don’t get footwear in pairs, but we recreate them,” he said. Srinivas said the BMC approached the NGO after seeing its work on social media.
