Bhubaneswar : Electronic Gadgets have made our lives easy and better. However, once they lost their utility they become waste, and turn into burden on the Ecology. The danger grows like a demon, which, here in Bhubaneswar has taken an imaginary structure of Ravan, the mythological character with 10 heads. Here the artists’ group led by Pinaki has used old obsolete CRT computer monitors as the 10 heads of the demon. Different body parts are also made of motherboards, keyboards, integrated circuits, and other components of e-waste materials.
The Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of World Bank Group, have installed the e-waste sculpture at Jaydev Vihar to spread awareness on the rising volumes of e-waste. The initiative launched on the occasion of World Environment Day yesterday.
This installation is part of the awareness campaign of the Clean E-Bhubaneswar Project, that aims to ensure that the city’s e-waste is collected and recycled in an environmentally responsible manner. To achieve this, the IFC in partnership with implementing organizations, Sofies Sustainability Leaders Pvt. Ltd. and Siddha Development Research and Consultancy (SDRC), seeks to establish a working model for e-waste collection in Bhubaneswar that would be self-sustainable and serve as a model for effective e-waste management in other cities as well. An important aspect of the Clean E-Bhubaneswar project is to support local authorities including the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Orissa State Pollution Control Board in generating awareness among citizens regarding the hazards of e-waste, and the proper e-waste disposal/recycling channels available to the public.
BMC Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena inaugurated the sculpture under the Clean E-Bhubaneswar Project, a part of the IFC-EU Eco-Cities Programme. Designed and constructed by artist Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty and his team including Bidyadhar Majhi, Raju Bhoi, and Mahesh, the e-Ravan sculpture is a masterpiece and named after the mythological character to emphasise the importance of paying attention to the e-waste issue before it grows out of control and harms the human race.