NEWDELHI: Hundreds of Ganesha idols line up on the Noida Link Road in Samaspur village. It’s the biggest market for idols in the capital and it’s been buzzing with activity ahead of Ganesha Chaturthi.
Once restricted to those from Maharashtra in Delhi, the festival has now become more popular among non-Maharashtrians too. There are over 200 big and small pandals in Delhi and thousands of people who bring Ganpati home for a 10-day period every year . Many organisers attribute this spurt to rising nationalism in the last few years and its depiction in popular culture.
Karol Bagh, Maharashtra Sadan, Netaji Subhash Place, Sree Vinayak Temple in Sarojini Nagar, DDA Mini stadium, Laxmi Nagar and Dilli Ka Raja in Ramesh Nagar have big celebrations. We sell 2,000-3,000 idols from Samaspur alone, said Sona Ram, an idol maker. Idols costing Rs 100 to Rs 15,000 are available. This year, Bahubali Ganesha is in demand. While Plaster of Paris idols are still the most popular choice, the trend among bigger pandals is to encourage eco-friendly alternatives. Clean Ya muna would be our theme this year. We will not be immersing idols in Yamuna but in kunds prepared in mini stadium. Seeds are present in the idol and the soil will be used in our parks. said Sachin Gupta president of Ganesh Sewa Mandal in Laxmi Nagar.
Mahendra Ladda, organising the festival for 16 years, said prayers would be chanted in Marathi earlier; now, pandals have switched over to North Indian languages.
Bureau Report
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