Large crowds were seen in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with people arriving early in the morning for special rituals and darshan. New Delhi: Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations began across India on Monday (September 14), with devotees gathering at famous temples and pandals to offer prayers to Lord Ganesha.
In Kolkata’s Baguiati, the Executive Palace Apartment Owners’ Association set up its puja pandal around the theme ‘Parivartan – Towards a Developed Bengal with a Double Engine Government’. The installation includes a replica of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital facade. These have been placed along with models showing modern infrastructure and industrial development after the BJP government came to power in the state. “Change is visible all around in Bengal… this time, the festive season here is beginning with Ganesh Utsav, and the festival is being celebrated with great enthusiasm in every village. Bengal is set to become a ‘New Bengal’. “Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated with great pomp and show in Bengal.
Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh inaugurated a Ganesh Puja celebration at Panihati in North 24 Parganas.
It also features models of protesting doctors carrying “We Want Justice” placards. He said the increased celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in the state pointed to a cultural awakening. Prosperity is coming here,” he said. Speaking about the themes used in Kolkata’s pandals, Ghosh said local artists have drawn on public sentiment and developments in the state. Some of our artists here have come up with themes reflecting on Bengal’s past of bloodshed, violence and deteriorating industries, and contrasting it with the hope for industrialisation, bullet trains and improved social order,” he said.
