Temples carved out from TechNova boxes

Pune-based pre-press bureau Image CTP (earlier known as Image Process) was founded by Gopal Jaju and Sanjay Sawant in 1999. The company houses a range of platesetters and has been processing the plates manufactured only by TechNova since its inception

However, the focus here isn’t on how many plates the company fires in a day, but how Jaju’s family has been utilising the plates’ packaging materials to create exquisite temples for their home’s Ganesh Chaturthi decorations.

“Ganesh Chaturthi is probably the most celebrated event in Maharashtra and if you are a Pune resident with around 350 guests visiting your home to adore your Ganpati, it pushes you to create something beautiful and unique every year,” says Jaju’s 22-year- old son Pratik.

And this year’s decorative display at Jaju’s residence was a replica of the Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand, which was created using close to 20 multi-sized TechNova plate boxes. To create the temple, Pratik, along with his sister Megha and cousin Hemant, committed six hours a day for about a month. “The Covid-induced lockdown has affected our print business, but it allowed us to dedicate our time to the festival we love and cherish the most,” says Pratik.

The Kedarnath temple replica was created using close to 20 multi-sized TechNova plate boxes

Right from the base to stairs and the walls, each structure of the temple was created out of the boxes. The base was formed using three boxes adhered with glue and white cement, while the other boxes were cut out to provide intricate details and structure the temple design. In addition to the clutter-free lighting and elegant usage of colours, the idol itself made of clay and the use of recycled papers to give the temple a stone-like look added to the eco- friendly quotient of the temple.

“When we began creating the Kedarnath replica, we had no idea where we were headed. And since we had visited the temple only once when I was four, we had to rely entirely on the available images to comprehend how the exact structure looked. But eventually, it turned out to be a beautiful temple and more importantly a wonderful experience,” he adds.
 

The Jaju's came up with the idea to reuse TechNova plates packages for their Ganesh Chaturthi decorations in 2019

As a commitment to the environment, the Jajus have been keeping away the use of expanded polystyrene or extensive use of plastic for the past four years. However, it was in 2019, when they came up with the idea to reuse the boxes in which the TechNova plates were packaged for their Ganesh Chaturthi decorations. Celebrating the year’s Pandharpur Wari, the Jajus dedicated a temple each to Lord Vithal, Rukhamai and Ganpati.

Similar to the Kedarnath replica, close to 20 TechNova plate boxes were reused to create the three temples. “Awestruck by the temple’s beauty, we received seven orders from our visitors to create the same for them, and to cater to their request we reused another 50 boxes in which the TechNova plates had arrived.”

Not only at Pratik’s but also the festival’s decorations at Hemant’s residence were created reusing the packages at Image CTP with close to 35 plate boxes including both 2019 and 2020.

The festival’s decorations at Hemant’s residence were also created reusing the packages at Image CTP

Simply put, the Jaju family has shown the printing and packaging industry how it can think outside the box to make the best usage of their wastages. And more importantly, explained that any commitment to the environment begins at home.