The economics of Ganeshotsav

with its adherents organizes a procession of its own... A crowd, more or less numerous, accompanies the idol, clapping hands and raises cries of joy, while a little orchestra generally precedes the idol”.

The early beginnings show that Ganeshotsav was a political act. A private religious celebration had been given a public character for political reasons.

From there, the festival has been politicised to a point where rival political parties or politicians compete to host a pandal, offer a popular television or film star as the day’s attraction, draw in lakhs of devotees and generally turn the ten days of religiosity into a mega event. Every aspect – idol, decorations, programmes, music, procession and immersion – is over-thetop.

Who isn’t familiar with sarvajanik pandals, so many of which are erected with money often extorted? Many of them encroach on roads, flout civic rules, violate Noise Rules. When corporates and real estate companies began to sponsor pandals, the commercialisation of the festival reached a new peak.

Now, there are prizes running into lakhs offered by politicians and corporates for the best decorated idol or pandal or the most creative one or whatever they fancy, there are Ganeshotsav discounts on apartments and white goods, there are special accesses to sought-after pandals, the pandals themselves are the season’s best advertising platforms, and, of course, the queues at iconic venues such as Lalbaugcha Raja are longer than ever. What has happened over the years is beyond commercialisation. There is now a Ganeshotsav economy in which a number of people have a large stake, investments are made and realised, trade does not get dampened even by high prices because it happens in the name of the god, and the economy allows the channelling of scarce resources into a pre-decided event.

It’s a pity that there isn’t a comprehensive and longterm study yet of the economics but if there was one, it would show the buoyancy – or the lack of it – in the city’s economy.

So, over the next ten days, there will be talk about high prices, bad roads, and poor management of India’s economy but none of these may reflect in the celebrations or the lusty cries of “Ganpati Bappa, Morayya”.