Mumbai is going to glitter and shine this Ganeshotsav

Bringing people together once again on the joyous occasion of Ganeshotsav, which begins on September 19 this year, the city is gearing up for the grand celebrations, traditional aartis, yummy modaks and of course, an excuse to shop guilt-free! To bid welcome the elephant-headed God, jewellers in Mumbai are also playing their part in their own way. With beautiful ornaments, silver decorations and gold modaks, the festival receives a royal welcome every year and this Ganesh Chaturthi will be no different.

Using gold jewellery to decorate the idol has been a tradition for years together now. “During an occasion as auspicious as this, it is paramount that the jewellery that beautifies the idol reflects the purity in the hearts of the devotees,” says Prasanna Joshi, general manager, Lagu Bandhu. Interesting jewellery ranging from ladoos, chandra kunku, modak, undir to the durva haar are available at their stores. What’s more, they also make pearl-studded ornaments for connoisseurs. Lagu Bandhu believes that with the growing environment consciousness, replacing plastic decorations and ribbons with gold ornaments is both good for mother earth and also adds to the wealth of the family. 

That’s why, the yellow metal, which is often considered as the sign of prosperity and wealth, is also gifted to loved ones during festivals. However, this festival is hardly the one for gifting. “The atmosphere during Ganapati is more about buying new ornaments than gifting them,” says Ashish Pethe, Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers (WHP). “Dasara or Diwali is when people gift gold, but Ganeshotsav is usually about buying gold for the lady of the house and for the Ganesh idol like the sonapatti, a mukoot or a shawl.” Ganesh pendants are the kind of jewellery that people look out to buy during the festival says Ramesh Shoor, MD, Agni CZ Gold Jewels. “Gold ornaments are largely bought from us during the festival for the prime reason that it’s considered shubh (auspicious),” he says.

Mumbai saw a unique addition to the gold offering last year with the launch of a gold and diamond dispensing ATM across the city. This year, in association with the celebrated Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal, the company is launching ‘Lalbaugcha Raja Gold and Silver Coins’ and is installing four ATMs around the premises. “In the fast-paced life of Mumbai, purchasing gold ornaments requires frequent bank and jewellery store visits. To reduce that hassle, we have introduced this gold and diamond dispensing ATM which allows you to make the purchase comfortably,” says Pradeep Methakar, business head, Gitanjali ATM business. “Customers can choose from an array of exclusive designs from Gitanjali and also buy any denomination of coins at the ATM,” he adds. An assistant at each ATM will guide customers through the process and the machine will be available 24 hours through the 10-day festival.

The occasion that ensures visiting all loved and dear ones, enjoying a lot of sweets in celebration and also gives one the opportunity to make as many requests to the elephant-headed God, something every Mumbaikar looks forward to. And, it’s only fair to welcome one of the city’s favourite Gods with much grandeur and love.