Spirituality and spirit blends with social responsibility in Ganeshotsav 2025
Times of Bennett | Updated: Sep 05, 2025 20:41
Correspondent: Vignesh Iyer
Ganpati Bappa Morya! This slogan can be heard in the breath of every
Mumbaikar duringGanesh Chaturthi. It’s that time of the year when people
welcome their most adored deity into their homes and hearts. Ganesh Chaturthi
is a prominent festival throughout the country, but the magnitude of celebration is
greatly concentrated in the financial capital-Mumbai . People from all over the
globe come to witness the grandeur of Mumbai during this festival. This year,
several efforts have been made to steer the focus to Sustainable Development
Goals whilst keeping the fire of celebration alive.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC ) has
taken up noteworthy initiatives to reduce the drastic aftermath of ‘Ganesh
Visarjan’. Plaster of Paris (POP) idols rampantly increases water pollution
levels on the coast of Mumbai and also poses a severe threat to marine flora
and fauna. This year, the BMC has distributed over 1000 tonnes of clay and over
1000 litres of eco-friendly paint to idol makers free of cost. This initiative
by BMC was a huge step in making a switch from POP idols to eco-friendly idols.
The BMC has created over 288 artificial immersion ponds throughout Mumbai to
reduce overcrowding at the city’s coastline and water pollution during the
festival. Popular Ganesh pandals also joined in this initiative of making
Ganesh Chaturthi eco-friendly by transitioning to idols sculpted out of
recycled materials or clay. “Boomerang Ka Raja” of Powai earned a place in
the World Book of Records. Crafted by Rajesh Digambar Mayekar, this marvel
weighs around 300 kg and is constructed using 3.5 lakh sheets of tissue paper,
22 kg of glue and 45 kg of metal, all of which are completely recyclable.
The state government is taking strides to preserve and promote the
culture of Maharashtra through the famousGaneshotsav festivities. CM Devendra
Fadnavis unveiled a new Ganesh festival emblem and allocated ₹11 crore for
cultural activities. The Maharashtra government granted ₹25,000 each to 1,800
bhajani mandals supporting devotional music troupes to procure instruments and
enhance their festival performances. The state has also made special security and
transport provisions to ensure public safety and mobility during this festival.
To manage crowd movement during the festival, BEST deployed 10 special
overnight bus routes connecting key areas like Girgaum, Lalbaug, Parel, and
Chembur. Flexible boarding and alighting, along with crowd management, will
ensure smoother access for the public. Apart from government-backed
initiatives, several NGOs and charitable trusts are working hand-in-hand to
make this festival a joyous occasion for the underprivileged. The GSB Seva
Mandal of Mumbai is gathering funds via donations and providing free meals to
devotees round the clock. They are also running free vaccination drives and
medical centres with the help of sponsors and donors.
The spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi and the spiritual connect to lord Ganesha are
well-known to all, but the aspect of tying social responsibility to this
festival is what sets it apart. Gane sh Chaturthi 2025 witnessed several efforts
made towards making this world a better place. All these efforts accentuated
the festivities by significantly minimising environmental hazard, public
nuisance, hunger and what not. This celebration sets an example for future
generations that the embodiment of sustainable development goals in every
festivity is the way to go.
(This article is written by Vignesh Iyer, a Master’s student of Mass Communication.
He is passionate about journalism and aspires to become the editor of a leading
news agency in India)
Ganpati Bappa Morya! This slogan can be heard in the breath of every
Mumbaikar during
welcome their most adored deity into their homes and hearts. Ganesh Chaturthi
is a prominent festival throughout the country, but the magnitude of celebration is
greatly concentrated in the financial capital-
globe come to witness the grandeur of Mumbai during this festival. This year,
several efforts have been made to steer the focus to Sustainable Development
Goals whilst keeping the fire of celebration alive.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (
taken up noteworthy initiatives to reduce the drastic aftermath of ‘Ganesh
Visarjan’. Plaster of Paris (POP) idols rampantly increases water pollution
levels on the coast of Mumbai and also poses a severe threat to marine flora
and fauna. This year, the BMC has distributed over 1000 tonnes of clay and over
1000 litres of eco-friendly paint to idol makers free of cost. This initiative
by BMC was a huge step in making a switch from POP idols to eco-friendly idols.
The BMC has created over 288 artificial immersion ponds throughout Mumbai to
reduce overcrowding at the city’s coastline and water pollution during the
festival. Popular Ganesh pandals also joined in this initiative of making
Ganesh Chaturthi eco-friendly by transitioning to idols sculpted out of
recycled materials or clay. “Boomerang Ka Raja” of Powai earned a place in
the World Book of Records. Crafted by Rajesh Digambar Mayekar, this marvel
weighs around 300 kg and is constructed using 3.5 lakh sheets of tissue paper,
22 kg of glue and 45 kg of metal, all of which are completely recyclable.
The state government is taking strides to preserve and promote the
culture of Maharashtra through the famous
Fadnavis unveiled a new Ganesh festival emblem and allocated ₹11 crore for
cultural activities. The Maharashtra government granted ₹25,000 each to 1,800
bhajani mandals supporting devotional music troupes to procure instruments and
enhance their festival performances. The state has also made special security and
transport provisions to ensure public safety and mobility during this festival.
To manage crowd movement during the festival, BEST deployed 10 special
overnight bus routes connecting key areas like Girgaum, Lalbaug, Parel, and
Chembur. Flexible boarding and alighting, along with crowd management, will
ensure smoother access for the public. Apart from government-backed
initiatives, several NGOs and charitable trusts are working hand-in-hand to
make this festival a joyous occasion for the underprivileged. The GSB Seva
Mandal of Mumbai is gathering funds via donations and providing free meals to
devotees round the clock. They are also running free vaccination drives and
medical centres with the help of sponsors and donors.
The spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi and the spiritual connect to lord Ganesha are
well-known to all, but the aspect of tying social responsibility to this
festival is what sets it apart. Gane sh Chaturthi 2025 witnessed several efforts
made towards making this world a better place. All these efforts accentuated
the festivities by significantly minimising environmental hazard, public
nuisance, hunger and what not. This celebration sets an example for future
generations that the embodiment of sustainable development goals in every
festivity is the way to go.
(This article is written by Vignesh Iyer, a Master’s student of Mass Communication.
He is passionate about journalism and aspires to become the editor of a leading
news agency in India)
