The richest Ganpati mandal of the city Mumbai, the GSB Seva Mandal of the King Circle, has stated its plea to retain the height of the Ganesh idol at 14ft during the Ganeshotsav. While most of the prominent mandals have agreed to downsize their idols to 4ft, the parallel GSB mandal of Ram Mandir, Wadala, deferred festivities to Maghi Ganeshotsav in February 2021.
RG Bhatt, the trustee of the GSB mandal, speaking to the media stated, that since the mandal has only one idol, it cannot be downsized according to religious scriptures. He further appealed to the Maharashtra Government to consider his request to retain the height of the idol. However, the GSB has promised the immersion process to be conducted in an artificial pond and have discouraged devotees from taking part in it.
In the past, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked the Ganpati mandals in the city to keep the height of the idols small and celebrate the 10-day Ganesh festival, beginning August 22, in a low-key fashioned way in order to avoid overcrowding. With the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, there have been restrictions placed on the celebrations this year. With the heights of the idols being kept in mind, the pandals are also said to be smaller in size this year. Along with this, social distancing protocols are to be followed to help contain the spread of the contagious disease.
The CM had also asked for opinions from the office-bearers regarding the height of the idols and immersion procession among others. Swapnil Parab, secretary of the Lalbaug Sarvjanik Utsav Mandal had stated that the idols are likely to be immersed in artificial lakes this year. He added that the CM suggested that the heights of the idols be small so that they can be immersed in artificial lakes. In a state like Maharashtra, that is actively battling the COVID-19 crisis, it becomes very crucial for the people to safeguard their own selves and celebrate the festival in a simplistic manner this year.
Share
Tweet
