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.)

Banks will remain closed for two days —  September 18 and 19 —  in some parts of the country for Ganesh Chaturthi.

This year, the 10-day-long Ganesh Utsav will be observed from September 19 to September 28.

Ahead of the festival, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that the banks will remain shut in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai on Monday, September 18.

The statement released, on RBI’s official website, also added that in Mumbai, Nagpur and Ahmedabad among other major cities the banks will be closed on September 19.

RBI also said that the bank will remain shut in the national capital, Delhi, on September 28, which is the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi.

Here is the complete list of cities wherein the bank will remain shut on September 18:

Bengaluru

Chennai

Hyderabad-Telangana

On September 19, banks will remain shut in these cities:

Ahmedabad

Belapur

Bhubaneswar

Mumbai

Nagpur

Panaji

Here is the list of cities where banks will remain shut on the day of Visarjan—September 28

Ahmedabad

Aizawl

Belapur

Bengaluru

Chennai

Dehradun

Hyderabad-Telangana

Imphal

Kanpur

Lucknow

Mumbai

Nagpur

New Delhi

Raipur

Ranchi

It must be noted that these cities will witness bank holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act, RBI added.

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 is celebrated across the country, especially Maharashtra, with immense enthusiasm to honour Lord Ganesha. This year, the 10-day-long festival will begin on September 19. During this joyous occasion, devotees bring Lord Ganesha idols to their homes and offer prayers and sweets, and seek his blessings.

The day is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and Ganeshotsav.

To make Ganesh Chaturthi festivities memorable, we have curated a list of  messages, wishes, WhatsApp status and greetings to share with your loved ones:

• On this Ganesh Chaturthi, may Lord Ganesha bless you with wisdom, prosperity, and joy. Wishing you a delightful festival.
• As we welcome Lord Ganesha into our homes and hearts, may all your obstacles be removed, and your life be filled with happiness and success.
• May Lord Ganpati shower his blessings upon you and your loved ones. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
• May the blessings of Lord Ganesha fill your life with endless moments of love and laughter. Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi.
• This Ganesh Chaturthi, may Lord Ganesha bestow his divine grace upon you and your family. Wishing you peace and prosperity.
• On this auspicious day, may Lord Ganesha fill your life with good fortune and grant you the strength to overcome all challenges.
• As we celebrate the birth of the Lord Ganesha, may your life be filled with wisdom, courage, and prosperity. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
• On this special day, may Lord Ganesha’s blessings light up your path and guide you towards a brighter future.
• Wishing you and your family a Ganesh Chaturthi filled with devotion, joy, and togetherness. May Lord Ganesha bless you abundantly.
• May the divine blessings of Lord Ganesha fill your home with peace, love, and prosperity. Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi.

New Delhi:

Festival time provides opportunities to artisans who have migrated from Rajasthan to create idols of Lord Ganesha.

They do odd jobs to earn a livelihood the year round in east Delhi’s Pandav Nagar, and on the roadside in Jasola, Madanpur Kadar and Tughlaqabad.

The idols cost between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. The bigger ones are sold for between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000.

The idols are eco-friendly, made of clay and mud. Some of them have only gold colour decoration.

The process of making idols begins at least five months in advance of the festival date. As most of the idols are eco-friendly, they have to be protected from the monsoon rain and placed in the sun to dry.

Mumbai:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday flagged off the Ganpati Special train, named ‘Namo Express’, to Konkan from Mumbai’s Dadar station in view of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Fadnavis said that Maharashtra BJP has arranged six special trains and 338 buses for devotees going to the Konkan region for the upcoming Ganpati festival.

|| गणपती बाप्पा मोरया ||

10.40 pm | 15-9-2023 Mumbai | रा. १०.४० वा. | १५-९-२०२३ मुंबई

Flagging off ‘Namo Express’ from Dadar to Sawantwadi (Konkan Ganpati Special Train)
दादर ते सावंतवाडी नमो एक्सप्रेसचा (कोकण गणपती स्पेशल ट्रेन) प्रस्थान कार्यक्रम@MPLodha… pic.twitter.com/5TSv0DufG6

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) September 15, 2023

“Maharashtra BJP has arranged six special trains and 338 buses for devotees going to the Konkan region for the upcoming Ganpati festival so that passengers don’t face any difficulty in reaching their designated place.

“Our Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar and cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and all our team are working to make an arrangement like every year we do. This year we are trying to do it on a larger scale,” added Fadnavis.

11.15pm | 15-9-2023 Mumbai | रा. ११.१५ वा. | १५-९-२०२३ मुंबई.

LIVE | Media interaction.#Mumbai#Maharashtra#Konkan#Ganeshotsavhttps://t.co/BnfvUFrq1Q

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) September 15, 2023

While Central Railway is running 156 Ganpati Special trains in view of the Ganpati festival and the bookings for which are open.

This year the Ganesh Chaturthi festival will begin on September 19 and will continue for ten days until September 29.

The 10-day festival ends when the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjan on the day of Anant Chaturdashi.  

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