Hyderabad: Ganesh laddu auction craze spreading

Hyderabad: The Ganesh laddu auction craze is just not limited to Balapur; it has spread to different places where the bidding has surpassed the famed Balapur laddu. The auction at the Keerthi Richmond Villa in the Bandlaguda Jagir Municipality saw a whopping Rs 1.26 crore being fetched on Thursday.

The Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi has been the trend setter for the laddu auctions. It has spread to various pandals in the city and districts. While the Balapur laddu was auctioned for Rs 27 lakh, residents of Richmond Villa collectively participated in the bid. They had collected Rs 63 Lakh in the 2022 auction. The money collected is spent on underprivileged and school fee of the poor. It is given to 24 NGOs, said the residents of the gated community. In the auction by New Star Bhakt Samaj, Attapur, the laddu was sold for Rs 10.11 lakh to G Bhupal Reddy. This year the laddu fetched Rs 2 lakhs more than in 2022. Bhupal Reddy was the winner who had quoted Rs 8.11 lakh in 2022.

A Muslim successfully bid for the precious sweet item in Shankarpally Municipality giving a message of brotherhood and humanity. Taher Ali, a government teacher purchased the laddu quoting Rs 23,100.

Ali said he believes the laddu will bring good fortune. He wanted people of all religions to live in unity. In the auction by a pandal organiser in Nalgonda, a person said to be a follower of MLA K Bhupal Reddy purchased the laddu for Rs 36 lakh.