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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.

‘Our formulations cater to needs of grapplers’

Correspondent
Mar 2, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Mar 3, 2025

Siddharth Singh is known as India’s accomplished athlete. He has turned into an entrepreneur with a lunch of a supplement brand. The pioneer of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) talks to ‘The Perfect Voice’ regarding his journey as an entrepreneur and future plans. Excerpts...

Siddharth Singh

From an MSc in International Strategy and Economics to becoming India's first competitive Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. How did your educational background influence your approach to entrepreneurship?

My journey in martial arts has been driven by a deep passion for combat sports. However, building Crosstrain Fight Club—India’s leading MMA academy—required more than just technical expertise; it needed strategic planning, business acumen, and brand development. My education and corporate experience played a crucial role in making this vision a reality.


My MSc in International Strategy and Economics from the University of St Andrews provided me with the tools to plan and structure India’s first MMA academy in a way that ensured long-term sustainability and growth. My journey—from an athlete to a coach and entrepreneur—has been fueled by a mix of martial arts passion, strategic education, and corporate branding expertise. With Crosstrain Fight Club, my mission is to continue developing India’s next generation of world-class MMA athletes and elevating Indian MMA on the global stage.


What gaps in the market did you identify that inspired you to create a supplement brand specifically for the Indian fitness community?

As an athlete and coach, I’ve always believed that success in combat sports isn’t just about skill and training—it’s also about what fuels your body. When I founded Crosstrain Fight Club, my mission was to create a training environment that could produce world-class athletes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, and other combat sports. But one major challenge stood in the way—high-quality sports nutrition was either too expensive or simply not available in India.


That’s why I started 191 Nutrition.


I saw firsthand how athletes in India struggled to find affordable yet effective supplements to support their training. Either they had to compromise on quality, or they had to pay a premium for imported products. This wasn’t acceptable to me. Our athletes deserve the best, and I wanted to create a brand that delivers world-class supplementation at Indian prices.


How does 191 Nutrition stand out in such a crowded market?

From day one, I made sure that 191 Nutrition was something I could personally trust—for myself, my family, and my students at Crosstrain Fight Club. Every product we release is tested and used by me, my entire team, and some of the top athletes in the country.


Today, 191 Nutrition is proud to be the choice of AJP Pro Jiu-Jitsu League and ADCC India athletes. These are some of the best grapplers and fighters in the country, competing at the highest levels, and they trust 191 Nutrition to fuel their journey.


We focus on science-backed formulations that cater specifically to the needs of grapplers, MMA fighters, and strength athletes. Whether it’s protein, recovery supplements, or performance enhancers, every product is designed to meet the demands of combat sports.


How do you ensure that 191 Nutrition’s offerings align with the needs of both elite athletes and everyday fitness enthusiasts?

When I launched 191 Nutrition, my goal wasn’t just to create supplements for professional fighters and athletes. I wanted to build products that would help anyone—from elite competitors to everyday fitness enthusiasts—perform at their best.


Whether you’re an ADCC India or AJP Pro athlete preparing for the next big tournament or someone juggling work, family, and training, your body has unique demands. 191 Nutrition is designed to meet those demands with precision—helping athletes recover faster while also ensuring regular people stay active and healthy.


You’ve trained over 5,000 women in self-defense. Can you share your experience?

At Crosstrain Fight Club, we have had the privilege of training over 5,000 women in self-defense over the past 12 years. While this has been an incredible journey, I believe we can do 10 times more in the next 10 years.

To make this vision a reality, we are launching a dedicated foundation that will work exclusively with orphanages, NGOs, and schools that focus on empowering young girls. Our mission is to equip them with essential physical and psychological self-defense techniques, helping them build confidence, awareness, and the ability to recognize potential threats.


What’s next for you both as an athlete and an entrepreneur?

With the UFC's global influence expanding, more Indian audiences are becoming aware of the sport, leading to a surge in participation at both amateur and professional levels. Fighters like Anshul Jubli and Pooja Tomar have proven that Indian athletes can compete on the biggest stages, inspiring the next generation to take up the sport seriously. Their success has also caught the attention of international promotions, opening doors for more Indian talent.


The next decade will be crucial in developing grassroots training programs, increasing sponsorship opportunities, and creating a structured ecosystem that allows Indian fighters to thrive.

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