Ganesh Mahotsav to be a low-key affair this year

Ludhiana: This year it will be a disappointing affair for the devotees who wanted to celebrate Ganesha Mahotsav on a large scale as due to Covid-19 the organisers of these events are in a dilemma whether they should go ahead or not.
Usually preparations start at least three months before the event, but this time nothing could be done as social gatherings are banned and in these religious events usually it remains very crowded. The organisers have made up their mind not to organise mahotsav in pandals and rather go ahead with simple rituals by bringing Ganesha idols at home.
The mahotsav is starting from August 22 till 31 this year. In Mumbai too, Ganesha Mahotsav is one of the biggest festival and even there it has been dropped this year as in Maharashtra the number of Covid-19 cases are not coming down. However, in the city there are many organisations, apart from temples, which organise Ganesha Mahotsav on a grand level and for almost 10 days it is like a grand celebrations which ends with a grand immersion ceremony.
Honey Bedi from Baba Ganpati Sewa Sangh said, “We were the ones who introduced this culture of celebrating Ganesha Mahotsav here in Ludhiana and had never brought a Ganesha idol even once at my house. But this year due to coronavirus as there are bleak chances of celebration on a grand level, so, this time I am planning to bring Ganesha at my house.” He said he is also planning to spend the collected amount on some noble cause. He said every year artists come from Odisha for preparing 108 idols for various temples and organizations but this time they did not even call those artists yet.
Kumar Gaurav, one of the organisers of Ganesh Sewa Parivar, said, “We cannot take risk by organising it on a grand level this year and moreover, usually we start palki yatra three months in advance, which could not be done this time.” He said he was planning to keep Ganpati at home for 10 days and worship him as per rituals but the idol will be small. Gaurav said people could take blessings at his home. “On the last day before immersion we will organise a kirtan on a small level as we do not want to end the tradition of celebrating this festival,” he added.
Meanwhile, a devotee, Kanchan Sharma, said, “For almost the past 10 years I have been visiting a pandal near my house in Haibowal, where it is celebrated at three locations on a grand level. So, it will be disappointing but at this time it is advisable to avoid gatherings if we have to control Covid-19.”