Ganesh festival in Mumbai, Pune to be low-key affair

The Ganesh festival in India's financial capital of Mumbai and Maharashtra's cultural capital of Pune is expected to be a low-key affair.

While the organisers in Mumbai have asked its members to keep it a low-key affair, the Maharashtra government now has to take a final call or issue guidelines.

While the Ganeshutsav is just a couple of months away, the Mumbai-Pune belt is the worst-affected COVID-19 belt in the country.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will take the final call, organisers in Mumbai and Pune said.

The 11-day festival starts on August 22 on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and ends on September 1 on Anant Chaturdashi.

In Pune, the prominent Ganpati mandals like Kasba Ganpati, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Tulsi Baug, Guruji Talim, Bhau Rangari, Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal and Akhil Mandai Mandal held a video-conference meeting, in which it was decided not to hold public events and cultural programmes.

In Mumbai, the BrihanMumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Samanway Samiti (BSGSS), the apex body of Ganesh mandals, has urged the organisers to celebrate the festival in a simple manner.

Meanwhile, the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Ganesh festival at Wadala and 21 Ganesh mandals of Khetwadi decided not to have celebrations and instead do it during Maghi Ganesh Chaturthi, that falls on February 15, 2021.

In Mumbai and Pune alone, there are 16,000-odd sarvajanik Ganesh mandals, of which around 350 are the big ones.

The organisers have decided to follow the guidelines of the WHO, Centre and Maharashtra government like physical distancing, have sanitation facilities.

The popular Ganesh mandals are Lalbaug-cha-Raja at Lalbaug, Ganesh Gully, Lalbaug, Tejukaya Mandal, Lalbaug, Sahyadri Mandal, Tilak Nagar-Chembur, Shri Bal Gopal

GaneshUtsav Mandal, Marine Lines, Fort VibhagSarvajanik Ganeshutsav Mandal, Fort, Andheri-cha-Raja or the Azad Nagar Sarvajanik Utsav Samitee at Andheri, will take final call soon.