The festivities have been on mute and mostly the accent has been on smaller idols, eco-friendly festivities and Ganesh pujas at home
Devotees carry an idol of Lord Ganesha from a workshop in Thakur village in Kandivli. Pic/Satej Shinde
Tomorrow, Mumbai will bid farewell to Ganeshji. This year, the festival has been downsized naturally, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The festivities have been on mute and mostly the accent has been on smaller idols, eco-friendly festivities and Ganesh pujas at home.
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Yet, we have seen the fervour and devotion concentrated more at homes where people celebrated and observed different dates through this 10-day period.
The popular Lalbaugcha Raja mandal, which did not bring the idol to the iconic venue this year, did something that was surely next to Godliness. It held massive blood and plasma drives on the premises. The Mandal also gave a cheque for a certain sum to families of police personnel who have died because of COVID-19. They also gave cheques to families of fallen soldiers.
While like all, we too hope for an end to the pandemic and for celebrations to be like before, this shows us that there is no downsizing in devotion even if festivities are curtailed or smaller in number. It also proves that community service is a great way for organisations to channelise their resources and these initiatives can change lives.
Let us carry that spirit on visarjan day and have no processions or crowding.
A thought and empathy for our police force which is working hard and sacrificing hugely during this period. Let us make the day as smooth as possible, maintaining absolute law and order. These are tricky times, and discipline is key so that citizens and police are on the same page when it comes to safe celebrations.
When the festival began, it was disappointing and shocking to see humongous crowds at markets, some of the authorities threw up their hands in despair. We need responsible visarjans always, but this time it should weigh on us more than ever.
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