Ganeshotsav 2022: Andhericha Raja's mandal issues dress code; check out the details here

Board by Andhericha Raja mandal. Pic/Uday Salian

Going for a pandal hoping during Ganeshotsav, beware of dress codes as a few mandals will be placing dress code boards around the pandal.

Like every year, the Andheri-based Andhericha Raja pandal will be asking the devotees to wear traditional clothes or at least a decent pair of clothes in order to take the blessings of Lord Ganesha.

Yeshodhar Phanse, the chief advisor of Andhericha Raja's Azadnagar Sarvajanik Utsav Samiti, said, "It's been 12 years that we have been asking devotees to wear traditional or decent clothes rather than wearing half pants or sleeveless clothes. It is a traditional festival so we expect devotees, especially the younger generation to wear decent clothes."

Uday Salian, a spokesperson of the mandal, added, "We have kept a few pairs of track pants near our pandal as a backup plan for people who are not aware of the dress code. They can wear the track pants and enter the pandal to offer their prayers."

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While not many pandals in the city have any kind of dress code, a few like to create awareness about wearing traditional clothes.

Adhwait Pedhamkar, joint secretary of the Ganesh Galli's Mumbaicha Raja, said "We are creating awareness about how people should wear traditional clothes but we are not making it compulsory. It is people's choice what they should be wearing. We are only creating awareness."

One of the most popular and famous Ganesh mandal - Lalbaugcha Raja says that they don't follow any dress code. Bala Kamble, president of the Lalbaugcharaja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, said, "We have no restrictions on what people are wearing. We don't follow any dress code or any particular guidelines on what devotees should wear. It is on the will of devotee what he/she wants to wear."

Ganpati Insurance:

The Ganpati mandals usually pay the premium and get their pandal insured every year for accidental and natural calamities.This year, the Andhericha Raja has an insurance cover of Rs 5.70 cr. Keshav Tondvalkar, chairman of Andhericha Raja, said, "Out of the 5.70 cr, around Rs 1.5 cr is insured on a golden crown of the Lord Ganesh idol. And a few amounts are insured for other ornaments such as sliver rat, and a few jewellery of his feet. Besides this, we have insurance for the devotees and volunteers for natural calamities and accidental cases."

"We have insurance in lakhs. Most of the insurance is covered for jewellery and a 5.05 kg old necklace which is offered on the idol every year. Around Rs 10,000-20,000 amount is reserved for devotees while most of the accidental and natural calamities insurance is covered for our 200 volunteers," added Pedhamkar.

Speaking about the insurance cover of Lalbaugcha Raja, Kamble, added, "This year our total insurance is of 25.63 cr which includes the ornaments, accidental death and natural calamities. Out of the total Rs 25.63 cr more importance (Rs 12 cr) is given to accidential death and natural calamities of all the volunteers, devotees and residents."