Tilak Nagar, Chembur's oldest community Ganeshotsav, the 71-year-old Maharashtra Aikyavardhak Mandal, has adopted a eco-friendlier celebration this year, replacing its 11-feet-tall PoP Ganesha with a three-feet clay idol.
Cultural Roots Run Deep
The mandal was established in 1955 when the Bombay Housing Board, now MHADA, laid out Tilak Nagar as a housing colony for industrial workers. This makes the pandal older than the 49-year-old celebrations of the Sahyadricha Raja, one of the most-visited pandals in the city, in the same neighbourhood.
Decor Theme: 12 Jyotirlingas
The Tilak Nagarcha Mahaganpati is believed to be a wish-fulfilling deity. This year, the Aikyavardhak Mandal decided to install an eco-friendly idol made of clay. "We did this because the High Court has given an order. We used to install a PoP idol of 11 feet. Our idol this year is three feet tall," said Dinesh Paradkar, secretary of the mandal, which is culturally active, hosting annual drama and bodybuilding events. The mandal is organising its annual 'Shantabai Jog Marathi Ekankika Spardha', its annual theatre festival and the Ganesh Natya Mandir located next to the pandal.
Eco-Friendly Immersion Plan
The theme of the decorations this year is the 12 jyotirlingas, the most important Lord Shiva shrines spread across the country. The mandal will immerse the idol in an artificial pond created in the neighbouring playground with municipal permissions. The dissolved clay will be distributed to devotees to spread the message of an eco-friendly festival, said member Nilesh Salaskar.
