Recycling is the Vijaya Dashami theme of Bangiya Barowari Durga Puja near Jhanda Chowk, Hazaribagh, for two years now.

The pratima of the more than century-old Puja was immersed on Tuesday in a 20ft by 16ft tank - built last year exclusively for the purpose of bisarjan - and the water will soon be used for cleaning the Devi mandap. The clay remains of the idols will not go waste either: they will be used to plant saplings on the premises in an exemplary record of environmental awareness.

Organising president and eminent town physician Dr Sandeep Mukherjee firmly believes that the holy vestiges could have no better use.

"The tank is six feet deep and can hold a few thousand gallons of water. Instead of wasting that water after immersion, we have decided to wash the mandap with it. The chunks of clay will be fished out of the tank and used for gardening. Some of this palimati will be applied at the base of old trees to rejuvenate them and the rest to plant saplings," Dr Mukherjee said, adding that they began this recycling tradition last year.

According to the doctor, their mandap was established way back in 1889 and hosted the resident deity since. "Today, it has an annexe with a community hall. We rent out the hall for weddings to underprivileged people at the rate of only Rs 30,000 a day. The money is used for development of the mandap and organising environment-friendly Pujas," he maintained.

Joint secretary of Bangiya Barowari Durga Puja Sujash Banerjee said besides Durga, the mandap would host goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Jagaddhatri. "All the rituals will be over by the second week of November after which we will get the tank cleaned and preserve it for next year's festivities. The water and clay will then be used for cleaning and gardening," Banerjee said.

Hazaribagh town witnesses around 25 small club and community Durga Pujas. Most of these idols were immersed in the Chhath Talab on Main Road near Indrapuri Chowk.

"The pond water gets very dirty owing to lack of maintenance. We did not want to immerse our Durga Ma in that water. Hence, the tank was built," said Shankar Mukherjee, another organising member. "After bisarjan, the priest poured shantijal on all devotees and like every year, we ended Vijaya Dashami with kolakuli (embrace) mishtimukh (sweets)," he added.

Do you know of any such eco-friendly Durga Puja? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com