Flower composting drive struggles to bloom again at Chennai temple
The Hindu
The pandemic had brought the much-acclaimed initiative at Anantha Padmanabhaswami temple in Adyar to a standstill. Restarted now, the exercise tries to shake off months of inertia
Last month, two giant composting bins at the Anantha Padmanabhaswami temple on Second Main Road, shook off an almost two-year-long inertia, and excitedly hunkered down to work. The other two, just as hulking, look on dolefully, like an IT employee persistently benched for want of additional projects.
The pandemic has slowed down many stellar initiatives, and it brought this much-acclaimed composting exercise to a standstill. As the initiative restarts, there is much rustiness to deal with.
“From our side, we have assigned a staff member to just feed these two bins with flowers and tulsi leaves that had been used in worship, but are yet to kickstart the process to receive the output,” remarks a temple authority. “The compost has to be taken out, dried and packed. We are seeking help in restarting this essential process. Earlier, before the pandemic, Exnora Green Pammal was doing it for us. They would take the compost, dry it and turn into packets for us to sell at ₹60 each.”