Ganesh Chaturthi 2024: GSB Seva Mandal at King's Circle, known as the wealthiest Ganesh mandal in the city, has secured a record-breaking insurance coverage of ₹400.58 crore for its five-day festival from September 7 to 11.
GSB, Seva Mandal, Chairman Amit Dinesh Pai told ANI, “Like every year, this time too, we will be celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. It will be a five-day celebration. A total of ₹400.58 crores of insurance has been done. Last year, it was around ₹300.60 crores.”
Pai further informed that a private agency helps us with security, and 875 people work in three shifts.
Moreover, regarding security concerns, Pai said, “CCTV, facial recognition cameras and metal detector gates will be used.”
100 plus CCTV cameras have been installed, he added.
The South Indian-style idol, crafted from shadu mati (clay) and grass, is central to the celebrations at GSB Seva Mandal. Amit Pai mentioned that the mandal conducts pujas, annadaan (charitable meals), and seva around the clock. During the five-day festival, an average of 60,000 pujas are performed. Approximately 20,000 people daily and 100,000 over the entire period partake in the annadaan, which consists of prasad bhojan served on banana leaves.
Ganesh Chaturthi, a Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha, is 10-day festival, which commemorates the birth of Lord Ganesha.
For those observing a fast on Ganesh Chaturthi, it's advisable to begin the day with a cleansing bath. The fast extends from daybreak until moonrise. During this time, it is recommended that you consume one satvik meal each day. This meal may include fruits, milk, byproducts, fruit juice, kheer, rajgira, bhangra, and singhara. Cooking methods should adhere to steaming, roasting, or shallow frying.
Ganesh Chaturthi evolved into a grand public celebration when Maratha ruler Shivaji (c. 1630–80) utilized it to foster nationalist sentiment among his subjects resisting Mughal rule.
The festival saw a revival in 1893 by Indian nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who reintroduced it as a means to unite people during the British-imposed ban on political assemblies. Today, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by Hindu communities worldwide, with particular prominence in Maharashtra and parts of western India.
