Ganeshotsav is at its best when it brings Maharashtra together. For ten days, neighbourhoods become communities and homes become welcoming spaces as devotion spills naturally into the streets. There is music, modaks and the unmistakable sense that the festival belongs to everyone. Few public celebrations have such a powerful capacity to create shared joy. Yet, in recent years, Ganeshotsav festivities have tended towards bombastic spectacle, be it the height of an idol or the

As Ganeshotsav confronts concerns over idol height, noise and food safety, Maharashtra must find a balance between devotion and responsible celebration. Ganpati is perhaps Maharashtra’s most iconic festival, occupying a unique place in the state’s social and cultural life. For ten days, the state becomes more spiritual, more musical and, appetite-wise, more generous. But this year, three words are likely to define Ganeshotsav as much as devotion itself: height, noise and pras

Kolhapur: Ten minutes. That is the gap the family of Nalini Ganesh Mainkar says may have separated life from death. On Tuesday, as preparations for Ganeshotsav gathered pace in Kolhapur, Mainkar, a resident of Wangibol in Shivaji Peth, suddenly fell critically ill after her blood pressure dropped. Her family immediately called an ambulance. The ambulance came. But it could not reach her home without delay. According to the family and the ambulance driver, roads were blocked a

The assault of a Pune resident and anti-noise activist vocal about excessive noise during festivals is a disturbing reminder of what happens when religious enthusiasm becomes a licence for civic lawlessness. A disagreement over loudspeakers and DJs should be settled by argument. It should never end with one citizen hitting another. The attacker has reportedly been arrested and charged with serious offences. But the incident exposes a growing intolerance towards anyone who que

As DJs, Dolby systems and crowded mandaps return, Pune residents are pushing back against noise and traffic during the city’s biggest festival. Pune: The majority of the city’s residents have impotently opposed the use of ear-splitting DJ systems during the Ganeshotsav festival year after year. This year, citizens are voicing their opposition through various channels, while also expressing strong disapproval of festival mandaps (temporary pavilions) that obstruct traffic. M

The death of two people and injuries to five others after a 22-foot Ganesh idol collapsed during its arrival ceremony in Mumbai is a deeply disturbing accident. It is particularly unfortunate that such an incident should occur barely three weeks before Ganeshotsav begins on September 14. A festival that is synonymous with devotion, community and celebration must not begin under such a gloomy shadow. The incident took place in Bhuleshwar, as the idol of Bhuleshwaracha Raja was