Opinion: Ganpati Mandals Need To Rediscover Their Social Purpose

When the British ruled India, public gatherings were often restricted. It was against this backdrop that Ganesh Chaturthi was transformed into a public festival. It not only brought people together through religion but also became a vehicle for social unity.

Over the decades, Ganeshotsav became much more than a festival. Ganpati mandals became spaces where communities came together and, more importantly, where ideas could be presented to a wider audience.

For years, dekhavas (decorations) at Ganpati mandals reflected the concerns of the society around them. Female foeticide, women's safety, farmer suicides, drought, famine, water scarcity, pollution, girls' education and other pressing concerns were brought to life through creative displays. People would stop, look at these installations, and, at least for a moment, think about the problem being presented.

That seems to be changing.

Today, Ganpati mandals appear increasingly focused on creating something that will go viral on social media and attract the biggest possible crowd. Blinding lights, loud music, celebrity appearances and Instagram-friendly spectacles have become an integral part of the festival.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of celebration. Ganeshotsav is a festival, and everyone has their own way of enjoying it. But when spectacle replaces the substance, and enjoyment becomes the primary purpose, one has to ask whether the festival is losing something that once made it socially meaningful.

The irony is that mandals today have access to far greater financial resources than they did in the past. Private sponsorships and donations from politicians allow them to spend substantial amounts on decorations, sound systems, lighting and other attractions.

With greater resources should come greater responsibility.

Instead of asking only, "Will this go viral on social media?" and "How many people will visit?", mandals should ask, "What will people take away from this?"

A dekhava doesn't have to cost crores to make an impact. A simple but powerful presentation on the above-mentioned topics, or contemporary ones like cybercrime, smartphone addiction, unemployment, urban infrastructure collapse and gender equality, can stay with a visitor far longer than an elaborate installation that is photographed, posted on Instagram Story and forgotten.

Ganpati mandals have something most awareness campaigns struggle to obtain: a ready audience. Lakhs of people visit them during the festival. That public attention is an opportunity that should not be wasted.

There was a time when a child visiting a mandal could return home having learned something about a social issue. A dekhava could trigger a conversation at home, make someone question a practice or simply introduce a young person to a problem they had never considered.

Today, that same child may return with a selfie against the backdrop of an impressive decoration or a video of a DJ performance and little else to remember.

Of course, not every mandal has abandoned its social purpose. But the broader shift is difficult to ignore.

The answer is not to reject modern celebrations or demand that every mandal become a social-awareness centre. The point is to restore some balance between celebration and purpose.

Ganeshotsav has always had the power to bring people together. Perhaps its dekhavas should once again give them something to think about.

(The author is the Pune Bureau Chief of The Free Press Journal)