How expats cultivate a strong connection with Ganeshotsav
Updated On: 09 September, 2024 10:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Raaina Jain
Ganeshotsav is one of the most revered festivals in Mumbai. The city echoes with the ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ chants, and the streets and homes witness people coming together to participate in the festivities. However, these celebrations are not limited by geography or nationality. Expats living in Mumbai and Indians living abroad share experiences
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Mumbai Cha Raja, Ganesh Galli (Representational Image) Pic/Atul Kamble
It’s that time of the year again. Mumbai’s streets are brimming with cultural activity – devotees visiting pandals to catch a glimpse of Lord Ganesh, people thronging markets to make arrangements for the festival, families bringing Ganesh idols home as well as taking them for visarjan, and groups chanting ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ with devotion.
Ganeshotsav is one of the most celebrated festivals in the city, the arrival of which is difficult to miss amidst all the excitement and anticipation. While the city`s 10-day-long festival is marked with grandeur, its celebrations are not limited by geography or nationality.
How expats in Mumbai experience Ganeshotsav
When Gwenda Schobert, a marketing professional from Germany, first came to Mumbai in 2014 and witnessed Ganeshotsav celebrations in the city she couldn’t believe what was happening until she experienced it herself over the years. “In my first year in Mumbai, I remember passing by Marine Drive on my way to work and seeing how the city prepared for the biggest festival in Mumbai. My Indian colleagues showed me pictures of huge Lord Ganesh idols and masses of devotees during Visarjan, and I simply couldn`t believe it - until I experienced it myself,” she remarks.
Now that she has been in the city for 10 years and believes she is a “Mumbaikar by choice”, she enthusiastically participates in Ganeshotsav each year and has even discovered interesting facts about the festival.
She reveals, “A few years ago, I learned something very interesting about Ganesh Chaturthi during British rule: The colonisers had banned public gatherings, and the Indian freedom fighters came up with a powerful idea. They organised public Ganpati celebrations in Maharashtra for mass gatherings. Now, every year when we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai, I am reminded of the Indian Freedom Movement.”
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