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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.

The Ambition Gap

Writer: Divyaa Advaani 
Divyaa Advaani 
Nov 21, 2025
3 min read

A strong personal brand isn’t optional — it’s the foundation of modern professional success.

Walk into any modern workspace and you’ll witness a striking contrast between two worlds that are supposed to be working toward the same goals. On one side sit business owners and senior leaders who spent years climbing, learning, failing, rebuilding, and developing their professional identity through experience. On the other side stand young professionals who speak with extraordinary confidence — sometimes even more confidently than their competence allows. It’s not unusual today to hear someone barely two years into their career declare that they plan to retire by 30. Many of us were just beginning our careers at the age we hope to wrap them up.


This isn’t arrogance. It’s a generational shift shaped by social media visibility, rapid exposure, influencer culture, and a world where success is broadcast continuously. A young employee may earn ₹40,000 a month but won’t hesitate to purchase the latest iPhone worth over a lakh — not because they’re irresponsible, but because for them, image is a form of identity. They’ve grown up in a digital environment where how you appear often matters more than what you achieve.


But here lies a paradox: while they’ve mastered projecting confidence online, many struggle with presenting themselves effectively offline. They speak big but often haven’t built the behavioural, communication, or professional habits that turn ambition into impact. And this is where the gap between generations becomes more than philosophical — it becomes operational.


Corporations across sectors are observing the same pattern: brilliant minds that lack clarity, expressive voices that lack maturity, and ambitious talent that lacks direction. Managers frequently whisper the same concerns — “They’re confident but inconsistent,” “They want more but give less,” “They’re vocal but not always respectful.” Yet underneath this, what they’re really struggling with is not capability. It’s branding — the personal brand they unconsciously project every single day.


Whether they realise it or not, every employee carries a brand into the workplace. Their tone, behaviour, communication style, appearance, attitude, and decision-making form a silent but powerful narrative about who they are professionally. And when that narrative is scattered, impulsive, or perception-driven instead of purpose-driven, it impacts not only their growth but the organisation’s culture, client experience, and long-term reputation.


This is the part where many companies miss the opportunity. The younger generation doesn't just need training in skills; they need guidance in identity. They need to learn how to take the ambition they display online and convert it into the credibility they deliver offline. Personal branding is no longer about aesthetics — it is about alignment. When young professionals learn to align who they are with how they show up, everything changes.


They communicate more thoughtfully. They handle responsibilities with awareness. They understand that reputation is currency. They present themselves with maturity and intention. They stop chasing validation and start building value.


And companies that invest in this transformation benefit tenfold. A workforce with strong personal brands becomes a magnet for trust. Clients, teams, and leaders feel the difference. Instead of resistance, you see ownership. Instead of entitlement, you see drive. Instead of friction, you see, collaboration. The organisation’s brand grows because the people representing it grow.


For the younger generation, the benefits run even deeper. Suddenly, the dream of “retiring at 30” stops sounding like a fantasy and starts looking like a strategy — because they finally understand what it takes to build success, maintain consistency, and create opportunities. A strong personal brand gives them clarity, confidence, and the professional depth that fast-tracks careers far quicker than any social media trend ever could.


In a business landscape where everyone talks big, the ones who rise are the ones who show up big — with discipline, communication, emotional intelligence, and intentional presence.


For business owners and leaders, the message is clear: If you want a stronger organisational culture, better client relationships, and teams that represent your vision with excellence, begin by strengthening the personal brands of the people inside your company. Strategies grow businesses, yes — but people sustain them.


And if you’re ready to help your teams build a brand that elevates not just their success but your organisation’s reputation, I’d love to support that journey. Because in this era, a strong personal brand isn’t optional — it’s the foundation of modern professional success.


So, what are you waiting for? Make a strategically smart move and reach out to me. Book a free consultation call to discuss the upliftment strategy of your company by connecting on this link:https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani


(The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

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