This generous couple is giving away hundreds of FREE Green Ganesha clay idols in the GTA
Holding a rubber mould in her hand, she pulled out soft clay from her little hand bag and began shaping it inside the mould. In just a few minutes, a stunning Ganesha figure took form. It was hard to believe that this simple act could represent a deep commitment to environmental consciousness and a passionate cause.
But it’s not as easy as it looks. Years of dedication, practice, and a genuine desire to protect our planet for future generations have fueled this effort. For Neha Pandey and Hari Rishi Bahadur, a young couple living in Burlington, it’s their devotion to Lord Ganesha that drives their mission. They give away free Ganesha idols every year, combing “multiple causes and passions,” as Neha puts it
What sets Neha and Rishi apart is not just the countless hours they’ve spent making these idols with care but also their personal investment—around $3,200 so far, without expecting anything in return from those who take their idols. Their two children, an 11-year-old daughter and a young son, have been taught not to accept gifts. “People bring flowers, crayons, and other tokens of appreciation, but we don’t accept anything,” they explain.
“Selling idols of Ganpati never aligned with our values. We don’t judge those who do, but for us, this activity is sacred, and we didn’t want to commercialize it in any way.”
This marks the fourth year that Neha and Rishi have been giving away free idols in the Greater Toronto Area. Their journey started in 2020 when they moved from Atlanta, USA, and missed the handmade clay Ganesha models from back home. Inspired by their Atlanta experience, Neha set out to recreate this free Clay Ganesha campaign in Canada.
In 2021, they ordered their first Ganesha molds from India, bought clay locally, and carefully molded their idols. They did it again in 2022, and word began to spread. By 2023, the number of free Ganesha idols distributed had reached 250, and this year, they have already given out 1,200 across the Greater Toronto Area.
All of this has been funded entirely by the couple, without any tax benefits. They haven’t established a formal charity nor accepted outside help so far. However, the community has rallied around them, offering support. Mold providers have delivered at cost, volunteers eagerly joined the effort, and food donations flowed in to feed everyone involved.
The most rewarding part for Neha and Rishi has been the goodwill and gratitude from the community. One family from Markham, who had only used clay Ganesha idols for years, was so thankful when they learned about the drive that they showered blessings on the couple. After 15 years, they returned to their true tradition thanks to Neha and Rishi.
Last year, a devotee named Ajay Rana from the Vaishnodevi temple helped expand the initiative, and this year, he and his wife, Deepshikha Arora, opened their home to run the drive. Their generous donations of time and food helped prepare hundreds of idols for pickup. Another selfless volunteer who truly aligns with this drive, Pavan Gaaru from Milton has spent hours of his time training, making and distributing idols helping expand this drive. Ajai and Pavan are now core members of this drive and the team together with other volunteers plan to expand the distribution location to more than 10 locations in Toronto and GTA area in 2025!
Beyond the donations and gratitude, the real achievement of this initiative is that it has prevented 2,200 pounds of plaster of Paris from being dumped into Ontario’s lakes. Rishi points out that plaster of Paris doesn’t dissolve in water and can cause long-term pollution in rivers, ponds, and lakes, leading to stagnation and blockages in natural water flow.
The couple is still taking requests this year as a run up the Ganesh sthapna on Friday September 6. Requests are collected through the Sign-up Genius form – Link below at the end of the article
Humble request from Neha,,” please make sure you sign up ONLY if you can pick up. A lot of volunteer hours goes in procuring clay, making idols and storing them. Needless to mention, cost too. Please respect the effort behind this drive. Lastly, these idols are strictly for Ganpati staphana and puja so please do not collect for any other purpose. Please collect the idols in your chosen slots. “
About Ganpati idol – For those who are new to this, the idol is free of cost, approx. 6 inch tall and made of air-dry clay which dissolves in water within 5 min after visarjan. The idols are not coloured but can be coloured using acrylic paint. Although my recommendation is not to color as the chemicals in color goes to our lakes.
https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=w.manageSignUp#/51078093/share/