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By:

Naresh Kamath

5 November 2024 at 11:00:38 am

Corporatisation of Ganesh Mandals affect devotees

People carry an idol of lord Ganesh to a 'pandal' ahead of 'Ganesh Chaturthi' festival in Mumbai on Tuesday. Mumbai: As the Aagman (welcoming) of Lord Chintamani saw a sea of humanity descend in the Lalbaug-Parel belt on Saturday, one could not escape the stamp of the Adani Group which has now become an exclusive partner of the Chinchpokli Sarvajanik Utsav mandal. Following the Ambani’s which has patronised the nearby Lalbaugcha Raja from the last few years, the move by the Chinchpokli Ganesh...

Corporatisation of Ganesh Mandals affect devotees

People carry an idol of lord Ganesh to a 'pandal' ahead of 'Ganesh Chaturthi' festival in Mumbai on Tuesday. Mumbai: As the Aagman (welcoming) of Lord Chintamani saw a sea of humanity descend in the Lalbaug-Parel belt on Saturday, one could not escape the stamp of the Adani Group which has now become an exclusive partner of the Chinchpokli Sarvajanik Utsav mandal. Following the Ambani’s which has patronised the nearby Lalbaugcha Raja from the last few years, the move by the Chinchpokli Ganesh Mandal to partner with the Adani group is increasingly seen as corporatisation of the most popular festival of Maharashtra.“There is no partnership or deal as such. We have just given them exclusive advertising rights,” said Santosh Sohni, secretary of the Chinchpokli Ganesh mandal. He said that Adanis approached the Mandal after being impressed by the social work undertaken by the Mandal. The Mandal is creating a replica of the famous Tirupati temple to house Lord Ganesh this year.However, this has not gone well with both the devotees as well as political parties who described it as a hijacking of this festival by the corporates.For the neighbourhoods, the festival which was financed by small donations by households and small shopkeepers, entry by the corporates with deep pockets is seen as loss of innocence of this fest.“This Maharashtrian festival is being taken over by the corporates and this is just a beginning. The whole area will be monopolised by Adani and Ambani banners and gradually they will lord over the mandals,” warned Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande. “The common Karyakartas (workers) will be getting increasingly marginalised and paid workers will rule,” he added. Anant Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Industries was appointed as honorary advisor of Lalbaugcha Raja and is a familiar face during the 11-day festival regularly taking part in the daily Aartis. In fact, last year, he also took part in the Visarjan (immersion) of the Lord. In 2024, Anant Ambani and Reliance Foundation gifted a 20-kilogram gold crown valued at Rs 15 crore to Lalbaugcha Raja.Deshpande has a point as till last year, majority of the banners outside Lalbaugcha Raja were of the Reliance group and featured Anant Ambani prominently. Huge Opportunity The Parel-Lalbaug belt dominated by the labour and middle class is the mecca of Ganesh Festival which is visited by crores of people across the country during the 11-day festival. Sunil Ghume, a resident of Parel who has seen the festival evolved across decades, asserts, “The corporates see a huge opportunity in this area as it gives them a branding opportunity as well as helps them to network.” “Do you think these Mandals can defy these corporates given their money power and influence?” questioned Ghume. Ghume rued that locals are feeling being left out in the festivals. “Families used to come together, hold competitions and mingle together. However huge funding has played a spoilsport,” he added.Though the Sarvajanik Ganesh festival was started by Lokmanya Tilak as a part of political mobilisation against the British rule in 1893, it was Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray who realised the potential of this fest. The Ganesh festival played an important role in the growth of the saffron outfit which can be gauged from the fact that all major Sena leaders have headed Ganpati mandals. The Ganesh Galli Mandal is headed by Kiran Tawde who is a current BMC corporator from Shiv Sena UBT while Sudhir Salvi who is currently secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja is a top Sena leader. Till a decade back, going to Lalbaug-Parel belt and visiting various Ganesh Mandals and enjoying the different poses of the Ganesh Idol used to be family routine. However, this has all changed as getting here during the fest is a herculean task and getting Darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja takes hours standing in serpentine queue. “During childhood it was pleasure to visit various mandals. But now it’s becoming impossible given the mammoth crowd. The rich people get faster access while common people have to wait for hours,” rued 55-year-old Mahesh Halwai, who is a Lalbaug resident.

Mumbai Mermaid’s big splash in NY

Mumbai: Mumbai girl Jiya Rai can’t speak, but when she dived into the waters of Manhattan last week, she had a loud message that the world listened to.

 

Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Jiya, 18, has become the world’s first female para-swimmer to complete and bag the prestigious Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming.

 

With this she has conquered the English Channel, Catalina Channel and now the formidable 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan, a distance of 48 kms – almost equal to a train ride from CSMT to Panvel.

 

Jiya’s feat entailed 8 hours and 53 minutes of grueling swim in chilling waters, unpredictable weather conditions, battling powerful tidal currents, marine traffic, and physical demands of what ranks as one of the toughest open-water challenges, said her proud father, Indian Navy official Madan Rai.

 

“In its nearly century-old history, Jiya has become the first girl with ASD to accomplish the challenge solo. She is absolutely thrilled by her achievement and is now taking rest for the journey back to Mumbai on Thursday,” a delighted Rai told ‘The Perfect Voice’ from New York.

 

Jiya started her swim from Battery Park City early on Aug. 30, covering the mandatory points en route to complete it later the same day (Sunday). Waiting to receive and felicitate her was the Indian Deputy Consul-General in New York Vishal J. Harsh and other officials and swimming champs.

 

Throwing light on Jiya’s travails in the water, Rai said the waters around Manhattan are merciless – swimmers cannot leave the water or touch the escort boat or any person, the water temperature was around 20C. She was allowed food and drinks only through a feeding pole while remaining in the water, but she cracked it all to bag the Triple Crown – and swam into history.

 

Her Manhattan challenge was supported by the H T Parekh Foundation, NWWA (Western Region), Bagwadia Foundation, Indian Oil and Mazagon Dock Limited, adding yet another feather to her crowded swimming cap.

 

Almost five years ago, Jiya first crossed the Palk Strait and then became the girl with ASD to swim the English Channel solo in 2024, followed by the Catalina Channel in 2025 and now the coveted Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming in NY.

 

Honours and awards have followed her astonishing journey in the waters, and is oft referred to as the ‘Mumbai Mermaid’. In 2024 she received the WOWSA Award 2024, which is among the highest international recognitions in open-water swimming.

 

In all this, she enjoyed the full backing of her family, especially her father, IN’s MC-at-Arms Rai who trained Jiya with dedication for years though she was unable to speak due to her ASD.

 

Accolades and honours galore
Jiya Rai bagged the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in 2023 and the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in 2022, India's highest civilian honour for children below 18.
 
Symbolically, Jiya - pursuing her FYJC Arts course with IGNOU - has dedicated her latest swimming glory to the cause of Autism awareness and inspire many others to emulate her example.

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