Ganapati Bappa Moraya 2018 ~ and Insurance
Posted on the 14 September 2018 by Sampathkumar Sampath
It looks well-drafted Insurance coverage basket – Personal accident
for 2244 people at 10 lakhs each; Public liability 20 Cr; All risks (gold &
other valuables) 19 Cr – Standard Fire & Special Perils Policy 1 Cr ~can you guess what these Sum(s) insured
represent – and who the Insured could be !
https://twitter.com/Wassup_Mumbai
13th Sept was Vinayaka Chathurthi ~ we celebrated the
festival grandly by visiting Ganesa temples and worshipping the tall idols installed at
various parts of Chennai and all parts of Tamil Nadu.In Maharashtra and other parts of India –
there would be huge pandals and shouts of
Ganapati Bappa Moraya
would fill the air.Have read
that there is the story of bakth Moraya Gosavi, yet simple, it is invocation of
Lord Vigneswara – ‘Ganeshji come ahead and bless us’ is invitation to Him.
It
is one of the most anticipated festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi marks the day Lord
Ganesha was born. In Mumbai (and many parts of the country)it is a 10 day festivity culminating with
visarjan (immersion in sea, river or big water body). During the festivities,
people from across the state visit various temples and Ganesh pandals, of which
the best known is Lalbaugcha Raja. The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav
Mandal has been having a pandal for 85 years in a narrow lane of Lalbaug market
in central Mumbai, and it’s one of the most celebrated and worshipped Ganesha
idols.
Lal baghcha Raja (The
King of Lalbaug) is the most famous Sarvajanik Ganapati kept at Lalbaug, a
prominent locality in Mumbai during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The idol is
kept for public display for 11 days; thereafter it is immersed on the
auspicious day of Anant Chaturdashi. This idol of Lord Ganesha is Navsacha Ganpati ("one
who fulfills all wishes") and hence over 1.5 million people visit this
Ganesh Pandal daily during the festivities.The 'mandal' was founded because of
a vow for construction of the present
Lalbaug Market at its existing place. The marketplace at Peru Chawl was shut
down in 1932. Hence, the fishermen and vendors who used to sit in the open place
vowed to Ganesha for permanent place for their market. With the consistent
efforts and support of a group of people, the landlord Rajabai Tayyabali agreed
to give a plot for construction of a market. As fulfillment of their wish, the
fisherman and traders established the Ganesh idol on 12 September 1934. The
idol was dressed in the customary fashion of fisherman. Since that day, this
idol of has become popular as He fulfills the wishes of devotees. The mandal
was formed in the era when the freedom struggle was at its peak.
The Lalbaugcha Raja
Ganesh idol has been organized by the Kambli family for over eight decades. The
family have their workshop in a little lane off the main road in Lalbaug, not
very far from the pandal. The father of Ratnakar Kambli (the head of the Kambli
family) was a sculptor of idols and had roaming exhibitions at festivals across
Maharashtra. Kambli Arts makes the parts of the Lalbaugcha Raja idol at its
workshop; these are taken to the pandal where they are assembled and painted.
Finally, Ratnakar, who is nearly 80 years old, goes to the pandal and draws the
eyes. The height is 20 ft.
What you
read in first para is Insurance of Ganesa in pandal .. .. that of famous GSB.According to Dna India, this year too, mandals across Mumbai have sought multi-crore
insurance covers for the 10-day festival period. Mumbai’s wealthiest mandal, Gowd Saraswat
Brahman Ganesh Mandal (GSB), has taken insurance cover for a whopping Rs 264.75
crore, while the most-visited Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal located at Lalbaug
has opted for an insurance cover of Rs 25 crore. GSB is considered the richest mandal in the
city because of dazzling gold ornaments that adorn the idol.
The
mandal celebrates five-day Ganesh Chaturthi, unlike the other big mandals where
the deity is immersed on the 10th day, and thus it is secured with an insurance
of Rs 52.85 crore per day. Its insurance covers for all devotees and the
deity’s ornaments against terror attacks, accidents, burglary or external
damage. The biggest component of the insurance package is the Rs 224.40-crore
cover for personal accident that includes volunteers and workers, at Rs 10 lakh
per person. The pandal, including the CCTV, furniture and fixtures, grocery, fruits,
vegetables and computers is covered from fire, natural calamities, riots,
strike, rail or road damages, electrical damage, earthquakes.
The
mandal has taken insurance from the day of Ganesh Chaturthi until the ornaments
are safely deposited in the bank, claimed another member.
Interesting
!~ meanwhile the violence unleashed on
the Vinayaka procession at Sengottai makes us feel sad .. .. in Tamil Nadu, it
is often a challenge even for a religious procession to pass through some areas
!
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
14th
Sept 2018.