Scientists build Ganesh idol from snow at India's Antarctica station

A video celebrating Ganeshotsav is going viral on social media, showing an unusual scene of devotion. About 15,000 kilometres from India, on the icy ground of Antarctica, an idol of Ganpati Bappa was made and the festival was celebrated there.

The idol was prepared by scientists working at India's Maitri research station, the country's research centre in Antarctica where scientists work on various kinds of research. They made the idol of Bappa from snow in order to celebrate Ganeshotsav in an environmentally friendly way. The video shows a white snow idol of Ganesh with a garland of flowers around its neck.

The scientists performed aarti and puja in the traditional manner and immersed the idol with chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya". For the immersion, a bucket filled with water was kept inside the station, and the idol was placed in it. The snow gradually melted and dissolved into the water. The entire process was kept completely eco-friendly, meaning the immersion caused no pollution and no material was left to waste in the water.

Celebrating a festival in a place like Antarctica, where conditions are extremely difficult, is not an easy task. Temperatures there are very low and facilities are limited. Everything available at the station is in limited quantity, so celebrating any festival there is a challenge in itself. Maintaining one's culture and faith under such conditions is being seen as a significant achievement. The snow idol was not just an example of creativity but also carried a message of environmental conservation, showing that festivals can be celebrated without harming the environment.

The video was shared by Dr Aniruddha Dhar, who works at the Maitri station, on his Instagram account, after which it spread rapidly on social media and was widely appreciated.