Khetwadicha Raja in Girgaum

Offering prayers: A devotee whispers her wish into the ears of the mouse, Lord Ganesha's vehicle, at Khetwadicha Raja in Girgaum on Saturday



Too many 'rajas' ruin festive spirit

Caught in a race to lure more visitors and donations, Ganpati mandals are busy creating brands


Some of the more famous Ganesh mandals (organisations) have names like Umarkhadicha Raja, Vileparlecha Peshwa, Andhericha Raja, Tusliwadicha Maharaja and Tardeocha Raja.
Now, there is also Mumbaicha Raja Ganeshgalli at Lalbaug, but Lalbaugcha Raja will probably stand out among all of them. Smaller mandals are scrambling to put a Raja and Maharaja tag to their name to attract attention.
Joytirbhaskar Jayantrao Salgaonkar, a former head of an umbrella organisation of Ganesh mandals, says that the renaming of mandals was sparked by the competition among them.
"There are a lot of 'rajas' in the city; devotion is the casualty in the process. People are competing by creating huge idols to show off. This has to stop somewhere. People have completely forgotten the aim of the festival and are busy devising ways to become famous," said Salgaonkar.
According to festival watchers, mandals have become moneymaking enterprises with turnovers running into crores.
In the tug-of-war between the mandals, the festival itself takes a backseat as all that matters is who among them is the best.
In a city where the wealth of some Ganpati mandals runs into crores, how do you turn yours into a money-spinning attraction during the Ganesha festival?
Narendra Dahibaokar, president, Brihanmumbai Ganeshoutsav Sarvajanik Samiti, the umbrella organisation of Ganpati mandals said that there was no harm in putting a 'Raja' tag to the mandal's name. "People still believe in Ganesh. But it is clear there is intense competition among the mandals," said Dahibaokar.
Recently, Marathi film Morya, directed by Avdhoot Gupte, exposed the sordid behind-the-scenes tales of festival organisers.
The film tells the story of two city Ganesh mandals trying to go one up against the other by resorting to crooked means. One of the tricks used to attract devotees is by cooking up stories about their idol and hosting raunchy song competitions. And politicians flock to the mandals to further their agenda.
Mahesh Katkar, joint secretary, Tulsiwadi Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal said, "I don't know about other mandals, but our mandal is very old and the name Tulsiwadicha Raja was given by devotees and not us. At the same time, I agree there is competition among mandals."