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Ganesh Chaturti of Pune
Today Pune has the best kind of celebrations when festivals like Ganpati come and there are mandals which are built without digging the road and keeping the traffic and environment in mind. Pune has a system of having the whole celebration streamlined. It organizes competitions for decorations, concept, theme etc and thus brings about a sense of discipline and responsibility on the organizers. Those mandals which focus on environmental causes, rainwater harvesting, nature conservation etc get some special recognition. This inspires many mandals to have blood donation camps, campaigns on the importance of the girl child, spreading the awareness of AIDS etc.
In such circumstances it becomes necessary to get to know some of the major mandals in Pune.
Kasba Ganpati First Ganpati of Honor in Pune
Existing since the year 1893, this is located in the Kasba Peth in Pune. Since then it has occupied the first position. It is believed that a Ganpati idol was discovered near the residence of one Shri Vinayak Thakar. In sheer devotion, he got a temple constructed here. This is the Gram Daivat of the idol. Today the mandal has the best tableaux ever. It draws inspiration from history, social issues and epics. There are stories from Sai Baba’s life, or sometimes it is something historical. With Anna Hazare, the social activist catching everyone’s interest, even that becomes a topic for mandals. Visit this mandal to see what the surprise is this year.
Tambdi Jogeshwari Second Ganpati of Honor in Pune
This is the second most popular of the Ganpati idols in the city of Pune. Existing since the year 1893, it is located at Budhwar Peth. This is one of the idols that were erected when Lokmanya Tilak, the Indian leader started the festival with the idea of uprising the social Indian class. Today this centenary and seven year old mandal is a unique combination of devotion and creativity. The idol very much resembles elephants from Africa.
Guruji Talim Third Ganpati of Honor in Pune
Third in the line of popularity, this Ganpati is located at the Ganpati Chowk in Laxmi road in the city of Pune. This was started in the year 1887 and existed even before the Indian leader Lokmanya Tilak publicized the festival for the betterment of the masses. This established a unity between the Hindus and the Muslims. This was incidentally the first among the mandals which celebrated a 100 years of existence.
Tulsibaug Fourth Ganpati of Honor in Pune
This is the fourth line of fame in the Ganpati mandals. This is also the oldest and the famous mandal in the city of Pune. It is more famous for its huge idol and also amongst the first to make an idol out of fiber glass. Mr. D.S. Khataokar is the architect who creates this idol measuring 15 feet.
Kesariwada Fifth Ganpati of Honor in Pune
Located at Narayanpeth in Tilakwada in Pune, this Ganpati mandal exists since the year 1893. This is important as it was established by the Indian leader Lokmanya Tilak. With issues of social causes always depicted and the awareness spread, this mandal has a social programme with speeches given by experienced people. It also encourages children and women to take part in competitions organized.
Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganpati
Having the dubious distinction of being the richest Ganpati in the city, the Puneites come here to visit their favourite idol. Existing since 1893, it is managed by the trust of the same name
Anna Hazare new theme for Ganesh Chaturthi idols even in Chennai
CHENNAI: It is a birthday that celebrates the sweetness, power and contemporary appeal of Lord Ganesha. With Ganesh Chaturthi commencing on Thursday, devotees have set up makeshift pandals across the city to house a variety of idols.
Idol makers in Kosapet said there was a lot of demand for Ganeshas in the form of social activist Anna Hazare. “He is our new hero,” said G Ashok, an idol maker. “We also made Ganeshas keeping the cricket theme in mind because India recently won the World Cup,” he said.
As there is a ban on using plaster of Paris, most idol makers have bought clay or papier-mache models from Andhra Pradesh and given finishing touches based on customer demand. In West Saidapet, R Bhoominathan got a nine-ft tall Ganesha idol with a peacock motif. “Last year, we used a lion motif. We went for something different as he is a god who comes in all avatars,” said Bhoominathan, who was busy putting the final touches to the pandal.
This Ganesh Utsav is about ideals & idols
Shimona Kanwar, TNN
Chandigarh: This year, Ganesh Utsav celebrations will be unique in city, as the stage of Lord Ganesha will also have a portrait of Anna Hazare, the man who propelled the August Kranti in the form of anti-corruption wave. In Anna, Maharashtrians have found their ideal and it would be for the first time that photo of a man will be placed next to Lord Ganesha. M B Sane, president of the Maharasthtra mandal, said, ”We have decided to pay respect to the man who initiated a campaign against corruption. He is as auspicious as Lord Ganesha for us.”
The Maharashtrians settled in city, however, feel that though they celebrate the festival in city every year, the spirit of Mumbai is unmatchable.
They miss massive gatherings and making sand sculptors of Shiv and Gauri. ”In Mumbai, we used to take out the procession in every corner of the city. Here that is not possible,” said Kalpana Sane, a housewife.
Ganpati of Thanawala Family dons Gandhi cap, reads Jan Lokpal bill
By: Chetna Yerunkar
Charni Rd-based Thanawala family, in the 25th year of its theme-based Ganesha celebrations, chooses Anna Hazare-led Lokpal bill movement as this year’s imagery
One of the top trending topics of the year, and not just in the Twittersphere, has been the Jan Lokpal Bill agitation led by Anna Hazare.
And the theme shall dominate the Ganpati celebrations of Thanawala family for a day and a half.
The family of 45 stays in one building at Charni Road, known as Thanawala building, and installs a Ganesh idol every year in the vicinity, with a particular motif reflecting the current happenings in the country.
They have been famous for their theme-based decorations for 24 years now, and on the silver jubilee of their festivities, what better than the second freedom struggle of the nation to commemorate it.
The family is in the printing business and has been known to involve itself in various social causes. The idol is made up of clay, as it is every year, so as to be eco-friendly.
The Thanawalas believe in not causing any harm to the environment with material things.
The idol of Ganpati would wear a Gandhi cap, and there would be two mice (mouse being Bappa’s mode of transport) in front of it, both wearing a Gandhi cap.
Umesh, a member of the Thanawala family, said, “We have been doing this for 25 years now. Our main motive is to educate visitors who come to worship here, and keep them informed of the current happenings in the world.
This year, we would place a copy of the Lokpal Bill in front of Ganpati’s idol for one-and-a-half day. The Lord’s two mice would be praying to him, like humans, so that the bill is passed without obstacles.”
Added Upendra Thanawala, “The background would be a Tricolour with Gandhi topis.
We would also have a computer and a TV screen next to the idol so visitors can read salient points of the bill, which they may not be aware of.”
Now, Anna awards for best Ganesh mandals in Hubli
Srinivas Reddy, TNN
Hubli: After an idol of Gandhian-activist Anna Hazare found its place alongside that of Lord Ganesha in a Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal in city, the Shree Gajanana Mahamandal, which has been giving away awards for best organizers of the Sarvajik Ganeshotsava, has decided to name the awards after Anna.
As many as 60 organizers of Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals will carry home Anna Hazare Awards for best stage decoration, best lighting, best idol, best cultural programme etc. Besides, the Mahamandal will also honour four persons for their exemplary service to society with Anna Hazare Awards.
The Shree Gajanan Mahamandal has been giving away awards for Sarvajanika Ganesha Samitis in Hubli for the past 23 years. Its founder-president D Govind Rao said they started giving away awards more than two decades ago after he found people losing interest in celebrating the festival that had its roots in India’s freedom struggle.
Corruption, Anna favourites themes of 2011 at Ganesha pandals in Gujarat
TNN
Vadodara: Corruption and Anna Hazare are the favourite themes at Ganpati tableaux. Mandals or pandal organisers in the city are known to embrace issues that are widely discussed or debated and make decorations or backgrounds using them as theme. In the past the Godhra carnage, terror attacks, Sohrabuddin murder case and similar issues have been recreated by pandals. Some have even made comments on these through audio-visual presentations.
At least three pandals in Vadodara and one in Godhra have raised the issue of corruption and included Anna Hazare in it. Shri Balaji Navyuvak Mandal at Ghee Kanta Road in Raopura has used images of tainted persons like DMK‘s Kanimozhi and A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi as well as suspended Vadodara Municipal Corporation city engineer V N Taylor in its pandal.
The pandal even raises the issue of corruption in the city survey department, roads and in school admissions as donations. Kirad Modi, one of the organisers of the pandal, said that people need to become more aware and should start resisting corruption. “Pandals have always raised such key issues and we are doing the same this time around,” he said. And Anna seems to show the way ahead appearing prominently in the background of Ganesha.
Udaipur celebrates Ganesha Festival
The custom of placing the idol of Lord Ganesha has been performed in various places of the city where a temporary porch with a stage has been erected to worship the Ganesha for the next 10 days till its final Visarjan.
Ganesha’s idols were offered ladoos, flowers and other offerings in the form of Prasad. City’s most famous Ganesha Temple, Bohra Ganesh Temple has witnessed a large number of devotees lined up to observe the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, birth day of Ganesha.
While the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by most of the Hindu castes and sub castes of Udaipur, however, one community though not big in comparison to other Hindu sects has special observance of the festival, perhaps because they belong to the place from where the festival is believed to have its origin, Maharashtra.
Jai Maharashtra Ganesh Mandal, a group which comprises of about 1000 members belonging to the state of Maharashtra, is settled in Udaipur from many years.
Being Maharashtrian, Ganesh Chaturthi plays a vital role in strengthening the small community which is primarily engaged in jewellry verifying businesses in Udaipur.
The big pandal is constructed at Clock Tower area to celebrate the 10 days of Ganesha Festival. The ornamented and brightly coloured idol weighs around 150 kg and is place at a height of 6.5 feet. The idol is made by artists from Ahmedabad.
“It is our 20th year since we started celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in Udaipur”, says Namdev Patil, president of Jai Maharashtra Ganesh Mandal. Namdev belongs to Sangli district in Maharashtra and has been staying in Udaipur since a very long time.
Namdev said, “We arrange 10 days events with the help of our community members, there are nearly 30 or more shops of our people here, each shopkeeper contribute Rs.3000/- for Ganesha Parv, though there is compulsion over the amount but still we collect sufficient amount of money to make it a grand festival.”
While talking to UdaipurTimes.com, the Maharashtra born Jeweller said, “Ganesha Chaturthi is the most important festival of ours, we feel happy to see everyone indulging in it here in Udaipur, giving us feeling of our home in Sangli.”
Jai Maharahtra Ganesh Mandal will organize series of events in coming week with aarti, bhajan, social programs and finally visarjan.
Main program will start from September 2 at 9:00 am with aarti and then again at 8 pm on the same day. On 3rd Sept. bhajan sandhya will be organized, on 4th there will be a Kavi Sammelan the theme of which is ‘Anna Hazare and his latest successful anti-corruption movement’.
On 5-6 of September a dance competition for kids and on 7th there will be cultural programs at Clock Tower which will be followed by Viasrjan on 8th or 11th of September, informed Namdev Patil.
Source: Udaipur Times
Top billing for Anna this Ganesh Chaturti
The Orissa Puja committee has hit upon a novel idea of celebrating Ganesha Chaturthi this year, by invoking Anna Hazare and his fight for the Jan Lokpal bill. |
Renowned sand sculptor Sudarshan Pattnaik and his team of students have designed a carving of Lord Ganesha, beside a praying Anna Hazare, near the BEML Kalamandir at New Tippasandra.
The text, “Pray with Anna for Lokpal bill,” is also carved next to the two figures.
Pattnaik said he wanted to celebrate the success of the Lokpal protest led by Anna Hazare.
“Anna Hazare has done a great job to make this land free of corruption. I believe that divine forces have a major role in initiating such a movement,” he said.
45 championships
Pattnaik has participated in more than 45 sand sculptor championships at the international level, and was the first Indian to bag the world championship title in 2008 in Berlin.
Recently, he also won the gold medal at the third Moscow world sand sculpture championship 2011. This is not the first Anna-inspired carving by Pattnaik. “I have already done three other sculptures for Anna Hazare,” he says.
“The whole world is looking to us after the protest,” he adds. The sculpture is five feet in height, and the work took up nearly 30 tonnes of sand, he says.
Assistants
Pattnaik was assisted by his students from the Sand Art Institute, Orissa, and have been on work since Monday to build the sculpture.
Nihar Ranhan Samantara, founder member of the Puja committee, says “Corruption is eating into our system. Though Anna Hazare is steering the movement in his own way, we thought of doing something different to add to the social cause. That is why we invited Pattnaik, who is also an Oriya, to this function.”
The committee wants to create awareness about the movement against corruption, he added. The exhibition will remain open for public viewing till Ganesha puja on Thursday. Details can be had at http://www.orissapujacommittee.com
Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/187467/top-billing-anna-festival-time.html
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Rain dampens Ganapati shopping fervour in Mumbai
Even as Ganapati Bappa is all set to come into ourhomes, the rains are proving to be quite a hurdle for people who want to go shopping for lights and othermaterials to decorate the mandals and pooja ghars of their houses towelcome their favourite deity. Ganesh Chaturthi falls on September 1, which is only a day away now.
While there were a few enthusiasts who, in spite of heavy rains, had come to shop for lights at Crawford Market, the business it seems has taken a bit of a beating owing to the continuous downpour. Vendors gave mixed reactions about the sales of lights this year.
JitendraDhingra fromSeven Lights, a light shop, has seen business slow down by around 20 to 30 per cent. “Rains, obviously, will have an effect on the business. People don’t step out of their houses as there are transportation problems as well. They try and buy whatever is available in and around their area. As such, the sales of lights vary from year to year. At times it peaks and at times it hits a low. This year, because of the Anna Hazare movement, already the business
was not the way it used to be. There weren’t many buyers. And now, because of the rains, the sales have dipped further,” revealed Dhingra.
On the other hand, Mahesh Advani from another shop named Skylight said that though the pace is a bit slow, the business is running smoothly.
As far as the devotees who wanted to get attractive lights for Ganesh Chaturthi are concerned, there were some who braved the rains and came for shopping. Shyama Kulkarni, a housewife from Byculla, was among them. “I generally shop for decorative pieces and light two or three days prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, when I am done with all other preparations. So this year, I planned to do the same. But, for the last two days, I have been waiting and hoping that the rains would subside. But, going by the way it has pouring, I decided to buy lights right away as I cannot delay it any further. It is no fun shopping this way, but there is no option,” said Shyama, while managing an umbrella in one hand and checking out attractive lights with the other.
Source: http://www.afternoondc.in/city-news/rain-dampens-ganapati-shopping-fervour/article_33562
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- Rich and famous Kerala temple now in Mumbai – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - (mylordganesha.wordpress.com)
