This year, the celebrations for Ganeshotsav, the most awaited festival of Mumbai, will not be the same. Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, religious gatherings at public places have been prohibited. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray, had earlier appealed to all the public mandals across the city to celebrate the festival in a simple manner and to keep the idol's height below 4 feet.
Following this development, many major public mandals have decided to cancel the Ganeshotsav festivities this year. Big mandals like Lalbaugh cha Raja and Chinchpokli cha Chintamani have also dropped their mandals which earlier drew almost thousands of worshippers everyday. Instead of the celebrations, both of these big mandals have decided to donate medical instruments to civic hospitals and organize blood donation drives across the city.
Keeping the social responsibility in mind, the 'Shivaji Park Public Ganeshotsav Mandal' on Keluskar Marg at Shivaji Park, has also decided to cancel its mandal this year. The board of the mandal has been actively celebrating the festivities for the past 48 years in the city. The devotees of Lord Ganesh would arrive in large numbers to worship the idol and to appreciate the beautiful lights and decorations of the mandal. The Shivaji Park mandal has taken the decision to drop the celebrations considering the health and safety of thousands of devotees.
As to not draw too much attention or crowd to the scene, most of the small local Ganeshotsav mandals are trying their best to keep the celebrations as minimalistic as possible this year.
Share
Tweet
