'Ganesh mandals': Stepping stone for budding politicians to become leaders

During the British rule, social reformer Lokmanya Tilak initiated public celebration of Ganesh festival to bring people together and foster a sense of unity, but over the years, apart from fulfilling these objectives, Ganesh mandals have also been serving as grooming ground for budding politicians.

Through the "sarvajanik" (public) Ganesh mandals, the future leaders can get to master different key skills like managing finances, human resources management and establishing coordination between various agencies, says Naresh Dahibavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS). The Ganesh festival is celebrated across Maharashtra on a large scale. This year, this 10-day cultural extravaganza will begin on September 7.

There are several political leaders in Maharashtra who earlier worked as humble "karyakartas" (volunteers) of Ganesh mandals before making a foray into the world of politics.

Talking to PTI, Dahibavkar said that NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal and Union minister Murlidhar Mohol are among some of the leaders, who were earlier associated with Ganesh mandals in Mumbai and Pune, respectively, before making it big in politics.

Bhujbal, who was president of Anjirwadi Sarvajanik Mandal in Byculla in central Mumbai, rose to become a corporator, city mayor and then a cabinet minister. Mohol, a corporator and former Pune mayor, won this year's Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate and was then appointed as Union Minister of State for Cooperation and Civil Aviation, he said. Dahibavkar said he wrote to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde two months ago to ensure that election code of conduct does not come into force during the Ganesh festival and the demand was accepted, he added. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are likely to be held mid-November.

"If a mandal volunteer or its office-bearer becomes a politician and gives donation to the organisation, the latter becomes duty-bound to put up his posters, irrespective of whether it is an election year or not," he said. "Donations are used during the festivities because expenses have also increased. These days, we have to put up CCTV cameras," he added.

According to Dahibavkar, apart from grooming politicians, the sarvajanik Ganesh mandals also served as platforms for budding actors to showcase their talent through cultural activities.

"But since there are no musical programmes and plays during the festival due to the 10 pm deadline on loudspeakers, the grooming of new actors has also stopped. Several theatre and film personalities have attributed the plays organised by local Ganesh mandals as their debut in the field of art," he said. There are 3,300 public Ganesh mandals and 8,700 ones from housing societies in the suburbs which are registered with the BSGSS, he said.

The Ganesh mandals are required to obtain licences from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), police, traffic department and fire brigade licences are required and the committee has to coordinate with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Metro rail authorities to install pandals, he said.

The civic body has issued guidelines regarding the height of the pandals and stage, he said.

"Now, online permissions are valid for a period of five years instead of one year. But the traffic and police departments check if the rules regarding height are being followed or not every year," he said. Each mandal has "Gan Sevaks", who coordinate with the local police on the safety and security aspect. Women also participate in large numbers as volunteers.

Various competitions are held for local residents by each Ganesh mandal, including cooking competitions for women, educational contests for children.

"The festival might be for 10 days only, but Ganesh mandals are active throughout the year, carrying out various social initiatives. During the pandemic, 730 Covid-19 patients were saved due to efforts of the coordination committee," he said. Dahibavkar noted that the city never witnessed caste or religious tensions during the festivities.

"We consider this our achievement. At some places, like Dongri, Muslims head Ganesh mandals," he said. Talking about the business aspect, he said the turnover during the Ganesh festival is worth a few crores as there is requirement for various objects like, bamboo, tarpaulins, decoration material, flowers, fruits, dry fruits, instruments and sweets apart from Ganesh idols. "The government gets revenue in the form of Goods and Services Tax (GST)," he said.