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By:

Rajendra Pandharpure

15 April 2025 at 7:55:54 pm

The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s...

The BJP’s Ganesha Gambit

Pune’s Ganeshotsav has become an enormous civic and political stage, and the ruling party has proved adept at occupying it. Pune: The city’s Ganeshotsav is entering its final phase, but the festival has already demonstrated something beyond its extraordinary crowds and familiar spectacle: the extent to which it has become a political stage. This year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has left a particularly visible imprint on the festivities, using an event that reaches deep into the city’s neighbourhoods as an opportunity for public outreach. The political appropriation of the festival has not, however, been without a counter-current. Demands were raised for curbs on noise pollution, loudspeakers and the volume of dhol-tasha performances. The argument was not against Ganeshotsav itself, but for moderation - notably, a complete ban on DJ music and limits on the number of dhol and tasha instruments used by performing troupes. Familiar Troubles The festival’s reality has been rather different. Major roads have been occupied by mandaps. Processions celebrating the arrival of Lord Ganesha have unfolded amid punishing noise. DJ music, while subject to restrictions, has continued. Traffic congestion has become a familiar feature of the festival, with the movement of political leaders adding another layer to the city’s already strained roads. The Peth areas have remained crowded deep into the night. The Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati temple has drawn enormous crowds for darshan from the opening day. From the old city to housing societies and neighbourhood mandals, Ganeshotsav touches virtually every part of Pune. For a political party seeking a direct connection with citizens, few occasions offer such a ready-made network of people, institutions and local influencers. The BJP enters this festival with an unusually formidable organisational base. It has two MPs, seven MLAs and more than 100 corporators in Pune. Murlidhar Mohol, one of the city’s MPs, is a Union Minister of State. Chandrakant Patil is a Cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government, while Madhuri Misal is a Minister of State. The party’s presence also extends into the festival’s organisational architecture. Its influence is visible across numerous mandals, large and small. BJP MLA Hemant Rasane is General Secretary of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati Trust. Kunal Tilak, a member of Lokmanya Tilak’s family, is a BJP corporator. The political and cultural histories of Pune therefore intersect in ways that are difficult to ignore. The BJP’s senior leadership has also made the most of the occasion. National President Nitin Nabin visited Pune to seek Lord Ganesha’s blessings, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the city before and during the festival. Such visits are about more than religious observance. In a festival watched by millions and embedded in the city’s social life, political visibility comes almost automatically. There is also talk in Pune that the BJP provided substantial financial support to Dhol-Lezim troupes and their organisers, with claims that some major mandals received financial backing as well. These claims would require independent verification, but the perception itself points to the depth of the political contest around Ganeshotsav. BJP workers, according to local observers, have also sought to make their presence more conspicuous than that of festivities organised by housing societies. Useful Expedient The festival arrives at a politically useful moment for the BJP. The party has faced disquiet on several fronts. Young people have been agitated over the paper-leak controversy. Broader public dissatisfaction has been voiced over inflation and unemployment, while government policies relating to ethanol and charges associated with UPI transactions have also generated criticism. While a political party can defend a policy in a press conference and advertise its achievements, during Ganeshotsav, its workers can be physically present in neighbourhoods, among processions, mandals, cultural groups and devotees. Politics thus becomes less about argument and more about visibility. That is the BJP’s advantage in Pune. Ganeshotsav, after all, is not simply a sequence of religious rituals. It is an elaborate civic network involving local organisers, volunteers, cultural groups, businesses, residents and political representatives. Whoever has influence over that network acquires a powerful channel of communication with the city. The BJP appears to understand this particularly well. Its strength in Pune’s electoral politics has been reinforced by a presence that extends beyond elections and into the institutions and social spaces that organise public life. The irony is that the very scale of the festival that makes it politically attractive also magnifies the civic costs. The political value of Ganeshotsav and the civic burden it creates are therefore two sides of the same phenomenon. For Pune, the larger question is not whether politics has entered Ganeshotsav. It has done so for decades. The more consequential question is whether the festival’s extraordinary social capital will remain primarily a vehicle for political outreach or whether the same influence can be used to reconcile celebration with the ordinary civic needs of the city. For the moment, the BJP seems to have understood the first proposition better than most.

All India Radio Mumbai: The Voice of a Century

Writer: Suhas B Naik-Satam
Suhas B Naik-Satam
Jul 22
3 min read

A century of memories, culture and trust that lives in the hearts of millions.

Some voices do not remain mere voices; they become witnesses to history. They live on through generations of memories, create a sense of belonging in homes, and become an inseparable part of the collective memory of society. The voice of All India Radio Mumbai is one such voice.


23 July 2026 marks a historic and proud moment in the history of Indian broadcasting. On this day, All India Radio Mumbai enters its centenary year. This is not merely the hundred-year journey of a broadcasting centre; it is a glorious chapter in the cultural evolution of Maharashtra, the bond of trust created with people, and the dissemination of knowledge and ideas.


23 July is celebrated as Indian Broadcasting Day. On this day, organised broadcasting services began in India, marking the beginning of a new era in the country’s communication landscape. In those early years, radio was not merely a technological medium; it was a powerful tool that connected the nation, shaped thoughts and provided a platform for culture.


In today’s digital age, the means of communication have undergone a remarkable transformation. Mobile phones, the internet and various digital platforms have enabled information to reach across the world within moments. Yet, the importance of radio continues to remain unique. This is because radio is not merely an experience of sound; it is a dialogue of emotions and trust. The warmth of the announcer’s voice, the identity of programmes, the melodies of music and the rich tradition of ideas have helped All India Radio Mumbai create a lasting place in the hearts of listeners.


Mumbai is not only the economic centre of the country but also a vibrant cultural capital. Numerous streams of literature, music, theatre, cinema and art have flourished from this city. All India Radio Mumbai played a significant role in bringing these diverse cultural expressions to households. By taking the thoughts of Marathi writers, the voices of musicians, the imagination of playwrights and the talent of artists to listeners, the centre became an inspiring platform for many.


The countless voices broadcast from the studios of All India Radio Mumbai remain alive in the memories of listeners. The melodies of भावगीत (lyrical Marathi songs), classical music concerts, powerful performances of dramatic readings, literary interviews and various cultural programmes enriched the cultural life of Maharashtra. For many artists, All India Radio became their first major platform, helping their talent gain recognition and reach a wider audience.


The contribution of All India Radio has never been limited to entertainment. Through the threefold approach of information, education and entertainment, the medium has consistently contributed to social awareness and public enlightenment. It has played an important role in promoting education, creating social awareness and developing a scientific outlook among people.


An important chapter in this tradition is the establishment of the Science Cell in 1976. The cell was created with the objective of bringing developments in science and technology to ordinary listeners in a simple, understandable and engaging manner.


At that time, science was often considered a field restricted mainly to experts. Encouraging a scientific outlook among society, bringing new discoveries and concepts in science to common citizens, and nurturing curiosity among students were important needs of the era. The Science Cell of All India Radio Mumbai fulfilled this responsibility effectively.


Through science news, expert interviews, discussions, educational programmes for students and initiatives explaining the science behind everyday life, the Science Cell brought the light of knowledge to the common people. By presenting information on subjects such as space research, the environment, health, agriculture, energy and technology in an accessible language, the cell created a rich tradition of science communication.


The journey of science communication that began in 1976 remains an important milestone in the centenary journey of All India Radio Mumbai. Along with music, literature and culture, All India Radio also gave science an important place in social life. The effort to promote scientific thinking and encourage curiosity about knowledge has become even more significant in today’s information-driven era.


In its century-long journey, All India Radio Mumbai has not merely broadcast programmes; it has woven an invisible thread connecting memories, emotions, knowledge and culture with society. That is why the voice of All India Radio Mumbai continues to be a symbol of trust, warmth and cultural identity for millions of listeners.


As All India Radio Mumbai stands at the threshold of its centenary year, may this remarkable journey of voices continue to illuminate the path of knowledge, culture and communication for many more decades to come.


(The writer is the Chief Executive at the National Centre for Science Communicators, Mumbai. Views personal.)

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