Raksha Shetty
CNN-IBN- Mumbai

As the country celebrates the Ganesh festival, one thing Mumbaikars prepare for is the state of the beaches, after all the immersions are over.

But a few people are working towards making small changes in the tradition, so they can celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly way.

The Rahalkars in Dadar have been bringing home Ganpatis made of clay for 50 years and immersing the idol into the sea like everyone else.

But much as they love the elephant God, they hate the sight of the remnants of thousands of idols on the beaches of Mumbai every year after immersion day.

Says Amrita Rahalkar, "We would see all the statues half-cut, it was very depressing."

So the family decided to go eco-friendly.

Now they use a silver ganpati, one they bring out every year, not trudging through the dirty water, which they say has retained some of the sanctity of the festival.

Says Sanjay Rahalkar, "This was our little effort to decrease damage to the beaches."

The Rahalkars are not alone in their endeavour to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly way.

Old habits die hard, but the painted Ganpati is another instance of people breaking tradition and somehow, still keeping it alive.

And it's not some new fad for a group of people belonging to the Rustom Ravikashi Ganeshutsav Mandal, who have been painting Ganpatis on a wall for the past 29 years.

At the end of the festival, instead of immersion, water from a pot is used to wipe the wall clean.

Says Secretary, Rustom Ravikashi Ganeshutsav Mandal, Ramkrishna Bait,

"It's not breaking with tradition, it's saving the country. If more people did this, we would progress."

So be it a multicoloured Ganpati, who is certainly not just another brick in the wall or a silver one that comes back year after year, those who have broken with tradition to use them are certainly seeing only green.