Mumbai, known for its grandeur and fervour during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, witnessed a spectacular culmination of the 10-day celebration as devotees and Ganesh mandals came together for idol immersion. Amidst the rhythmic beating of drums and the jubilant chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya,’ the city came alive with processions marking the farewell of Lord Ganesh.

The Lalbaugcha Raja Procession

One of the most iconic moments of the festival was the commencement of the procession of the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati, which began around 11:30 am. This revered idol draws the maximum number of devotees during the festivities and a vast crowd eagerly awaited the final ‘darshan’ of the deity.

Devotees Flock In Large Numbers

Across the city, devotees flocked to various procession routes to witness the idols of Lord Ganesh being taken out of pandals for their final journey into the Arabian Sea and other water bodies. The idols, adorned in various forms and sizes, are accompanied by music, dance and heartfelt prayers.

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival, which commenced on September 19, was set to conclude on ‘Anant Chaturdashi.’ Thousands of people gathered on the streets of Lalbaug and other major procession routes, showering the deities with heartfelt prayers. Vibrant processions were filled with music, dance, and the joyful sprinkling of ‘gulal’ (vermillion powder).

Special Moments

Notable moments included the ‘pushpavrusti’ (showering of flowers) on the Ganesh idols at Lalbaug’s Shroff building. Crowds also thronged the main road leading to Girgaon in south Mumbai, where numerous processions, including those from Fort, Girgaon, Byculla and other areas, passed by.

When Will Ganpatis Reach For Visarjan?

In Lalbaug, known for its distinctive celebrations, the Tejukaya and Ganesh Gully mandals along with the Chinchpokali cha Chintamani mandal initiated their processions today in the morning with chants of ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkar Ya’ (come soon next year, Lord).

Ganesh Gully Ganpati reaches Girgaon Chowpatty by late evening, Chinchpokali cha Chintamani by late night, Tejukaya reaches by evening again, and Lalbaug Cha Raja reaches the next morning for the visarjan ritual.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a staggering 1,65,964 idols, including household and public ones, along with idols of Goddess Gauri, were immersed in various water bodies and artificial ponds across the city until the seventh day of the festival.

The Reserve Bank of India and other banks in Maharashtra will remain open on Thursday, September 28, when Anant Chaturdashi is celebrated. An RBI circular says that the Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad on Friday, September 29, under the Negotiable Instruments Act. Accordingly the public holiday declared on September 28, (Thursday), is cancelled and the offices of the Reserve Bank of India shall remain closed on September 29 (Friday), it said.

A post by CMO Maharashtra on X said the State government has declared a public holiday on Friday, September 29, on the occasion of Eid-eMilad. This decision has been taken in the wake of Anant Chaturdashi and Eid-e-Milad falling on the same day that is, on the 28th. The All India Khilafat Committee has requested CM regarding this. The decision has been taken for better management of processions.     

Different religious festivals being celebrated on the same day may place undue stress on law enforcement agencies and hence it would be better for the government to announce a holiday on Friday, a delegation of the All India Khilafat Committee said during its meeting with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The delegation included MP Rahul Shewale, MLA Abu Azmi and former minister Naseem Khan, among others.

CM appeals citizens to exercise restraint

The Chief Minister appealed to all citizens to exercise restraint and not to over burden the law enforcement agencies. It is a national holiday on October 2, to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. The Maharashtra government declared September 29 as Eid-e-Milad holiday at the request of Muslim leaders. This year Anant Chaturdashi falls on September 28, the same day as Eid-e-Milad, which is celebrated as the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.

As processions are taken out on the occasions of Anant Chaturdashi and Eid-e-Milad in Mumbai and other places, a delegation of All India Khilafat requested chief minister Eknath Shinde to find a solution to it, a statement said. “The delegation has requested that a holiday be declared on Friday, September 29, so that the police can make arrangements for the processions on both days (September 28 and 29).

The state government has decided to announce a government holiday on Friday as well,” Shinde said. The announcement means two consecutive state holidays on Thursday and Friday followed by the weekend and the national holiday on October 2, marking Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said he does not have a house in his name, but his government turned lakhs of daughters in the country house-owners.

PM Modi, who has been on a two-day visit to Gujarat starting Tuesday, was speaking at the launch of various development projects worth over Rs 5,000 crore, including projects worth Rs 4,500 crore related to education sector, in Bodeli town of tribal-dominated Chhotaudepur district of Gujarat.

Don’t have house, but gave houses to lakhs of daughters: PM Modi

“Since I spent significant time with you, I know the issues faced by the poor people and I have always tried to solve those issues. Today I am satisfied because my government has built four crore houses for the people across the country. Unlike previous governments, a house for the poor is not just a number for us. We work to provide dignity to the poor by building houses for them,” he said.

“We are building houses as per the needs of the poor, that too without the presence of any middlemen. Lakhs of houses were built and registered in the names of our women. Though I don’t have a house in my name, my government made lakhs of daughters house-owners,’ he said.

PM invokes World Bank president’s comment

Modi also noted that World Bank president Ajay Banga was so impressed with the Gujarat education department’s command and control centre in Gandhinagar, called as ‘Vidya Samiksha Kendra’, that he urged him to start such centres across the country.

“The World Bank president (Ajay Banga) recently visited the Vidya Samiksha Kendra (in Gandhinagar). During out meeting, he urged me to start such centres in all districts of India and said the World Bank is ready to be a part of that project,” he said.

The PM said the new National Education Policy (NEP), which was left in limbo for three decades, was finally introduced by his government.

Without mentioning any names, PM Modi also attacked the opposition saying “they indulged in politics of reservation”.

“But until I became chief minister, no science school was functional in tribal areas of Gujarat…How will you get admission in medical and engineering colleges if you do not have science schools,” he said.