By IANS,
Mumbai : Lord Ganesh was visible in full splendour, in different ‘avatars’, moods, and images – ranging from eco-friendly to sheer opulence – at the homes of commoners and celebrities at the start of the 10-day festival here Sunday.
While an association in Borivli showcased the elephant-headed god as Chhatrapati Shivaji, Maharashtra’s legendary warrior king, the city’s most expensive Ganapati shone at the Gaud Saraswat Brahman (GSB) associaton in central Mumbai’s King’s Circle area.
The GSB Ganapati, among the handful of Lord Ganeshas of Mumbai which are reputed to “fulfil wishes”, is adorned with 25 kg gold and 250 kg silver and is worth an estimated Rs.10 crore.
Millions of Mumbaikars were on the city roads since early Sunday visiting various Ganesh pandals and seeking the blessings of their beloved god from Dahisar in the west and Mulund in the east, and from Vile Parle in the north to Colaba in the south of this megapolis.
Since early Sunday, huge crowds of faithful cutting across religious lines, thronged the Lalbaugcha Raja in Parel-Lalbaug, and Andhericha Raja at Andheri, both considered “wish-fulfilling” Ganesh idols.
A festive atmosphere also prevailed in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Pune as people celebrated the festival with joy and enthusiasm, despite the spectre of swine flu in the air.
Leading the day was Chief Minister Ashok Chavan who has installed a large idol of Lord Ganesh at his official residence Varsha in Malabar Hill, south Mumbai.
“I have been bringing Lord Ganesh to home since over 50 years. This year, I have prayed for the Lord’s blessings to protect the state from terrorism, swine flu, the drought situation, and other issues confronting the people,” he said after performing ‘arati’ Sunday afternoon.
Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh also brought a Ganapati idol at his Worli residence where he performed the ‘arati’ with his wife, family members, relatives, friends and several Congress leaders.
For some, like the family of Bollywood scriptwriter Salim Khan, the day had double significance with Ramadan fasting and then worshipping Lord Ganesh at their Bandra West home, in the presence of the entire family, friends, neighbours and other Bollywood stars.
Similarly, actors Nana Patekar, Randeep Hooda, Jitendra Kapoor, Govinda Ahuja, singer Suresh Wadkar, the famed Mangeshkar family and many others from the Bollywood also brought Ganesh idols to their homes and celebrated the festival.
Commoners and celebrities thronged the various Ganesh pandals in the city and the prominent ones seen were the popular child actor Avika Gaur (Anandi of “Balika Vadhu” fame), Tusshar Kapoor, and Prachi Desai.