A government school teacher in Tripura has made a Lord Ganesha idol with syringes to mark Ganesh Chaturthi festivities. Samiran Dey aims to spread awareness against drug abuse in the state.

Mr Dey, who has been making idols for the last 25 years, tries to deliver a social message through his work.

Amid the rise in the usage of drugs among youngsters, Mr Dey came up with the idea to make a Lord Ganesha idol with syringes. 

The school teacher has added the text “Say No to Drugs” to the idol.

Talking about his work, Samiran Dey said, “I have been associated with idol-making for the last 25 years. Every time I want to give some social message through my work. This time I have decided to give the social message on the ill effects of drugs among young generations.”

He added, “It has been seen that many young generations are spoiling their future after they get trapped in drug addiction. Through my work, I want to generate awareness among the young generations.”

“The young people should know how drugs have been affecting their lives and society. It has also been seen that if anyone in a family has been consuming drugs, the whole family has to suffer. I’ve chosen this social message “Say No to Drugs” to create awareness, particularly among the youths because youths are the future of tomorrow,” Mr Dey continued.

This news about social messages came after Tripura chief minister Dr Manik Saha recently informed that in the last three years, a total of 2,131 people were arrested under the cases related to Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) in the state.

In the past eight years, the country has witnessed a 70 per cent rise in narcotic consumption, and around 100 million substance addicts are present in India. The rising drug abuse in the country is also considered one of the reasons for the increase in crime.

Mumbai:

Mumbai is steeped in devotion to welcome the annual homecoming of Lord Ganesh as the 10-day festival began on Tuesday with decorations in pandals and houses getting final touches.

A total of 2,729 ‘sarvajanik Ganeshotsav mandals’ have been permitted to organise public Ganesh festivities by erecting ‘pandals’, the city civic body said on Monday.

Preparations for the festival have been completed by conducting a special drive that included checking pandal premises, idol immersion routes and spots.

To maintain security during the festival that sees lakhs of people visiting pandals in ten days, more than 13,750 police personnel have been deployed in the city, an official said.

They comprise 11,726 constables, 2,024 officers from the rank of sub-inspector to the assistant commissioner and 15 deputy commissioners, he said on Monday.

Notifications issued by the traffic police listed several moves for a smooth flow of vehicles in the metropolis, including a ban on heavy vehicles on certain days.

“There will be a ban on the operation of private buses and heavy vehicles in South Mumbai on September 21,24,26 and 29. Between September 19 to 29, all types of heavy vehicles are allowed to operate between midnight and 7 AM, except September 21,24,26 and 29 in South Mumbai,” the official said.

Immersion day (September 28) will see a larger presence of police on the ground and manpower details being chalked out, the official informed.

Ganesh festivities are the most patronised in Mumbai, with idols of Lord Ganesh being installed in pandals and at homes.

From the launch of Chandrayaan-3 to Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, Ganesh mandals in Mumbai have gone all out with the themes for the pandals.

Mumbaikars have been thronging the popular shopping spots of the city at Dadar, Crawford Market, and Lohar Chawl, to buy decor items, flowers, and puja materials among other festival paraphernalia.

People are in for a visual treat this year, as the city’s Ganesh mandals have come up with fascinating thematic decorations for their pandals.

Pandal-hoppers will get to see themes of the Chandrayaan-3 launch, Ayodhya Ram Temple, and the 350th anniversary of the coronation of warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, showcased by big mandals or pandals in the city.

While a majority of the big mandals have already brought their idols to the pandals in grand processions over the last few weeks, household ‘bappas’ will make their way home to the beat of drums and happy chants on Tuesday.

A large number of devotees are expected to visit Lalbaug in central Mumbai to catch a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja, one of the most celebrated Ganeshas of the city, followed by GSB Seva Mandal’s Ganpati in Matunga, which is considered the richest and known for its grandeur.

Other famous Ganesh mandals are in Chinchpokli, Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya.

Apart from these, people will also get to see the city’s tallest Ganesha at 45 feet in the Khetwadi area of Girgaum.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has completed the works of filling potholes, pruning trees, and cleaning areas, as well as deployment of medical, ‘nirmalya’ and lifeguard teams have been completed.

A BMC release said a special cleanliness drive was undertaken in Mumbai on Sunday as a part of the Union government’s ‘Indian Cleanliness League 2.0’, an intercity cleanliness competition. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a temple in Karnataka’s Bengaluru has been decorated with currency notes and coins worth Rs 65 lakh.

The Sri Sathya Ganapathy Temple in Bengaluru’s JP Nagar is known for giving a unique touch to their premises during Ganesh Puja festivities every year.

This time, they have gone a step ahead and decorated the temple using hundreds of coins and currency notes ranging from Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 to Rs 500 denominations.

In the past few years, the temple also used eco-friendly items such as flowers, corn and raw bananas to decorate the idol of Ganpati as part of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations.

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival falls in the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar and marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati. The much-awaited festival is also known as Vinayak Chaturthi and Ganeshotsav.

It is marked with the installation of Ganesha’s clay idols in homes and public places, and concludes when the idol is carried in a public procession and immersed (visarjan) in a river or sea on the day of Anant Chaturdashi.

This year, the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities will commence on September 19.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2023: Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated across India with pomp and fervour. The 10-day Hindu festival marks the birth of Lord Ganesha, the deity of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. For the festival, devotees bring Lord Ganesha’s idol and place it in their homes or in a public pandal.

This year, the 10-day-long festival will begin on September 19 and continue till September 28. As per the Hindu calendar, Vinayak Chaturthi will begin on Monday (September 18) at 12.39 p.m. and end at 8.43 p.m. on Tuesday (September 19).

There are a number of rituals and customs that devotees follow during this festival.

4 Rituals You Must Perform On Ganesh Chaturthi 2023

Avahana or Pran Pratishtha

This ritual is performed to sanctify the lord Ganesha’s idol. Devotees perform ‘Deep-Prajwalan’ and ‘Sankalpa’ and then recite mantras. The idol is then placed in the pandal, temple or home.

Shodashopachara

This ritual means 16-fold worship which involves offering something to the lord. In this ritual, the devotees first wash Lord Ganesha’s feet, then give the statue a bath with milk, ghee, honey, curd, and sugar. Next step, fresh flowers, akshata, sindoor and Chandan are presented to the idol. Apply sandalwood paste tilak to the Ganpati idol.

Uttarpuja

This ritual is performed during ‘visarjan’. It is a farewell ritual performed on the 10th day of the festival.

Ganpati Visarjan

This is the last ritual in which the Ganesha idol is immersed in water. As they bid farewell to the lord, people chant, “Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya” (Hail Lord Ganpati, come quickly next year).