Mumbai: In a city that speaks in many tongues and beats with one heart, Ganeshotsav has always been more than just a religious celebration, it's a cultural phenomenon. This year, two Mumbai pandals stood out among others as one showcased the pride of Marathi language’s culture and the other offered a powerful message about linguistic unity.
As the flair of Ganeshotsav sets in, Mumbaikars have showcased their talent and skills through the cause they have been promoting through pandal theme. While the city has been dealing with linguistic divide in the recent times, Ganpati pandals have shown the real way forward.
Pimpleshwarcha Bappa Highlights Marathi Legacy
Pimpleshwarcha Bappa, a name lovingly given to Ganpati bappa by the members of Pimpleshwar Mitral Mandal in Walkeshwar’s Banganga, has chosen the theme of ‘Garv Marathi, Sarv Marathi’ on its 29th year of hosting celebrations for the festival.
Through the theme, the mandal has tried to spread awareness about the Marathi language’s history and its legacy. The pandal also features Modi script associated with the history of Marathi language.
Bipin Kokate, the Mandal’s secretary, said, “On behalf of our mandal, we have tried to highlight the contributions and achievements of Marathi authors, actors, singers as well as cricketers by showcasing about their life.”
Rubrics Academy Crafts Button Idol For Unity
On the other end of the city’s northern suburbs in Kandivali, Mudrika Foundation has chosen to promote linguistic harmony by creating an idol out of buttons. The organisation’s ganeshotsav, celebrated as Rubriks Academy, is known for creating Ganesha idols out of various objects with a theme. In the previous years, idols have been created out of coins, pencil waste and threads, each showcasing a unique theme.
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Languages As Buttons Of India’s Identity
Prathmesh Jha, founder of Mudrika Foundation, said, “This idol has been made by the students of the academy in 15 days. The buttoms, through which the idol has been created, symbolises how language joins people just like buttons join two corners of a shirt. A person looks respectable if all the buttons of his shirt are done, similarly all the languages should be respected to keep India’s unity integrated.”
