Strengthening social fabric during festive period

Grahak Peth cooperative departmental stores will not only campaign against female foeticide during the 10-day Ganesh festival, they will also lead by example with an all-woman executive committee this year, as it celebrates its 35th year of Ganeshotsav.

Founder Suryakant Pathak informed DNA that the cooperative consumer store has been making Ganesh idol decorations of biscuits since the last 12 years. “Parle provides us the over-baked or broken biscuits for decoration, and this is an attraction in every Ganeshotsav. Grahak Peth will display about 25 boards conveying messages against female foeticide in its decoration and pandal,” Pathak said.

He added, “This year, the store wanted to create awareness about female foeticide, and that is the reason all the staff members decided to celebrate Ganeshotsav by handing over the charge of the entire celebrations to the women staff of the store. Of a total 150 staff members, 75 per cent are women, and carry out all the responsibilities with the same efficiency as that of their male counterparts. The dhol and tasha troupe from Jnana Prabodhini, and Grahak Peth would also include only girls during the sthapana and immersion procession.”

For this year’s festival, Alaka Dalvi is the president, Sucheta Patki is working president and Varsha Apte is the secretary. Pathak said, “Our entire executive team has women staff for this year. We will be preparing a huge temple made of 25,000 biscuits and chocolates to house a seven-feet idol.”

All the related rituals and the priest’s duties will also be taken up by women staff. He said, “The daily arrangements of evening arati and puja, organising for prasad and guest for all the rites would be done by all-women executive. We will be inviting all celebrity women achievers such as Aruna Dhere, Vandana Chavan and others from surrounding areas for the daily arati.”