About the festival
Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu God. During the ten day festival families install idols of the deity in their homes while some associations and neighborhoods get together to erect tents in which gigantic statues of Ganesha are enthroned to be immersed later. The pride of place is occupied by the Lalbaugcha Raja (King of Lalbaug) one of the biggest, most revered and among the oldest Ganesh associations in the city.
And we see…
…the lanes-bylanes of Lalbaug. Lanes that come to life once a year when the Raja of Lalbaug returns to rule for a brief ten day reign, tell stories of erstwhile mill workers and tamasha artistes, are home to artisans who make Ganesha idols for the festival and never cease to draw us with the aroma of their spices and farsaan.
We take you through the popular Ganesh galli, masala galli, Chiwda galli to the little gems that dot this area – shrine of a famous tamasha artist at Hanuman Theater, Tejukaya mansion, Navroze Baug, Peru Chawl , community of artisans making Ganesha idols, erstwhile mill compounds , Ganesh Talkies and the buzzing Lalbaug market.
Ongoing preparations for the festival, Pandal hopping and a chance to be part of the immersion ceremony will be part of our tour that will run through the month of August till 11th September.
Details
The tour will run on request as well as every Saturday in August at a contribution of INR 600 per person
For the days of the festival in September you can be a part of the ceremonies for the second, third, fifth and the seventh day of the visarjan.
Max pax for the run is 10 people. Guests are requested to register in advance. For more details call +91 98677 64409 or mail beyondbombay@gmail.com
So…
So learn to Ganpati Bappa Morya, put on comfortable shoes, get the energy levels going and join us to catch the fervor that surrounds the festival. Let’s feel the pulse of the city…Bombay as it was. Mumbai as it is!!!!