Actress Harshita Gaur graced the FPJ’s Eco Ganesha Mumbai Mayor’s Awards 2026 as the Guest of Honour, celebrating the efforts of participants who came forward to promote environmentally friendly Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. A passionate advocate of Eco Ganesha, Harshita, who has been bringing home an eco-friendly Ganpati for the past nine years, spoke about her deep personal connection with the initiative and the importance of making sustainable celebrations a way of life.
Expressing her happiness and honour at being part of the event, the actress applauded Free Press Journal for taking the initiative and appreciated the creativity and dedication of the participants. She was particularly impressed by how the beautifully crafted idols reflected not just people’s love for Ganeshji but also their concern for the environment. She even joked that she might approach one of the winners next year to help her create her own Eco Ganesha.
Speaking about her experience at the event, Harshita said, “I think it is wonderful. Kudos to Free Press Journal for starting such a great initiative. When I was looking at the idols made by the participants who were being recognised, I could see that they reflected not just their love for Ganeshji but also their love for the environment. It was beautiful to see how both these sentiments came together. The idols were so beautiful that I was thinking I might call one of the winners next year and ask them to help me make my own Ganpati, or perhaps create one together. I think this is a wonderful initiative, and I am honestly feeling very overwhelmed right now. I have a very personal connection with Ganeshji, and I truly believe in this cause. While many people are already embracing eco-friendly celebrations, I feel that the real achievement will be when we reach larger celebrations and communities, where even the bigger idols are made in an eco-friendly manner. That is when I think we will have achieved our target. Hopefully, these conversations continue because every change begins with a conversation. I feel very happy and honoured to be here.”
Harshita also opened up about what prompted her to switch to an eco-friendly Ganpati at home nine years ago. Explaining what inspired her to make the switch, the actress said, “With an eco-friendly Ganpati, you can celebrate, enjoy yourself and even make your own idol, without causing any harm to the environment. There is absolutely no baggage or guilt attached to it. More importantly, I have often seen idols that do not completely dissolve during visarjan and end up near the shore. You have celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi, but afterwards, there is garbage lying around, a broken hand of Ganeshji or a discarded pagdi. That raises a very big question for me. This is the same idol that meant everything to you just two days ago. You stayed awake for hours and devoted your entire day to celebrating Ganeshji, and suddenly, none of that seems to matter anymore. There are several reasons why this happens, and witnessing all of this made me realise that we needed a solution that came without any environmental guilt. It has been several years now, and I am happy that I made that choice.”