Ganapati Bappa is all set to make a grand arrival this year. Going green for Ganeshotsav is not new, even as many devotees stick to bring home Lord Ganesha in POP covered in plastic paints. But there is one hero who strives to make a difference by chipping in his bit of eco-friendly idols this Ganesh Chaturthi. TV Sudhakar, a Mumbai resident, is giving away 1,000 clay Ganapati idols to Mumbaikars for free this Ganesh Chaturthi!

Before coming to Mumbai, Sudhakar, the Senior Executive Vice-President and Head Compliance at Kotak Mahindra Bank, had settled in Hyderabad for a brief period, wherein he took up the task of distributing clay idols from activists who often gave them away for free. He recalled his shock when he couldn't get hold of someone who makes Ganesha idols out of clay. It was only in 2017 that he managed to track down an idol-maker who used clay in Matunga.

The Mumbai resident shelled over Rs 3 lakh from his pocket for the making, and shipping of clay Ganeshas, which he says is only a small contribution towards the more significant cause of conserving nature, reports The Better India. After the success of the first edition of the initiative, he now plans to distribute 10,000 idols for free in 2019.

Book your FREE Idol

Try these eco-friendly Ganeshas you can make at home if you care about the environment. In the past couple of years, we have seen many eco-friendly ideas for Ganeshotsav to make this day lenient towards Mother Nature. Be it an idol made of chocolate, or garam masala or just leaves and paper, Bappa has been sighted in all shapes, sizes and even flavours, but free. This time around, shell out nothing but love and get bappa home.

So how to avail your free Ganesha idol? Here are all the details.

Visit www.clayganapati.com and register. It is on a first-come-first-served basis.

Post registration you can visit his Chembur residence on September 12 and 13 to pick up the idol along with a sapling to plant and immerse it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2018 05:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).