Hyderabad: No elephantine procession for Ganesh this year

Hyderabad: The corona pandemic not only affected businesses but also dampened the spirits of much-awaited Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in the city. The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi has decided to avoid the colourful mass immersion procession this year in wake of increasing corona cases.

The pandemic has left an impact on different festivals and the Ganesh Chaturthi is the latest to get affected. The festivals like Ugadi, Sri Ramanavami, Hanuman Jayanthi and recently Ashada masam Bonalu were also celebrated in a low key affair.

The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi had earlier decided to decrease the height of the idol to 27 feet this year. The Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi, which is known to take up laddu auction, has decided to cancel the same this year.

The Ganesh Utsav Samithi members have called upon the pandal organisers to celebrate the festival in a simple manner. "In wake of the Covid pandemic, we have decided to celebrate the Ganesh navaratri in a simple manner. Already cases are increasing everyday and it will not be proper to have mass gatherings and become a reason for spread of virus," said Samithi general secretary Bhagwant Rao at a press conference here on Monday.

The Samithi has called upon the pandal organisers to follow the Covid-9 guidelines issued by the government with limited members, maintaining sanitizers, wearing masks and following the physical distancing norms. The festival starts from Ganesh Chaturthi on August 22 and mass immersion procession is taken up on the last day of the festival on Ananta Chaturdashi, which falls on September 1.

The Samithi members said that there was no need for competition among the pandal organisers regarding the height of the idols. They called upon the organisers to immerse the idols in the lakes in their localities and suggested them to avoid the immersion in tubs and buckets stating that it was against the traditions. "We can celebrate the festival with more fervour next year," said Samithi president G Raghava Reddy urging the government to make arrangements to ensure there are no hurdles.They also urged the government to come to the rescue of the idol makers, who are solely dependent on making the idols for their livelihood.