Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra marked her family’s 17th consecutive Ganesh Chaturthi celebration at their Mumbai home this year, combining longstanding religious traditions with a renewed focus on environmental responsibility.
For this year’s festivities, the family welcomed a Lord Ganesha idol made from paper mache, continuing what Shetty described as a decade-long transition toward more environmentally conscious celebrations. The family initially moved away from Plaster of Paris idols in favour of clay before choosing paper mache this year.
Sharing glimpses of the celebrations, Shetty said the change required additional care and effort but reflected a responsibility both to faith and to the environment. She described the family’s annual tradition as one rooted in devotion while emphasizing the importance of reducing its environmental impact.
The actress also extended the environmental theme beyond her own celebrations by organizing an eco-friendly Ganpati workshop for children. The activity was intended to introduce younger participants to environmentally responsible ways of observing the festival while preserving its religious and cultural traditions.
Shetty’s children were seen participating in the workshop and making eco-friendly Ganesha idols. Other moments shared from the celebrations showed the family performing traditional rituals and puja, with Shetty joined by her husband, Raj Kundra.
The family welcomed Ganpati Bappa into their home on September 13, beginning the celebrations with prayers and traditional rituals. Two days later, on September 15, they held their Ganpati Visarjan and bid farewell to the deity.
For the visarjan celebrations, Shetty wore a traditional yellow-and-pink Maharashtrian saree and joined her family for the final prayers before dancing to the beats of the dhol.
The Shetty Kundra family’s approach also reflects a broader movement toward environmentally conscious Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Clay and other biodegradable idols have increasingly been promoted as alternatives to conventional Plaster of Paris idols, particularly amid concerns about pollution associated with immersion ceremonies.
For Shetty, this year’s paper mache Ganpati represents the latest stage in a tradition that has evolved over nearly two decades. By involving children in the eco-friendly workshop, the actress also sought to demonstrate how religious customs can be passed to a new generation while adapting to growing environmental awareness.
