“Every year, we try to give our Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations a theme connected to India and its journey. For us, it is a way of using the festival to share something meaningful with the community, while bringing people together.
This year is especially significant because the Sri Mallikarjuna Nagar Youth Welfare Association is celebrating its 50th year. To mark the occasion, we have installed a Ganesh idol based on Viksit Bharat 2047 at Lalitha Bagh in Uppuguda.
Viksit Bharat 2047 represents the vision of India becoming a developed nation by the time we celebrate 100 years of independence. It is about the country’s development and progress, stronger infrastructure, better opportunities, technology, education and a more self-reliant India. We wanted our installation to reflect that larger vision and the direction in which the country is moving.
Last year, our theme was Operation Sindoor, through which we wanted to honour the courage of our armed forces. This year, instead of looking at one particular aspect of the country, we wanted to focus on India’s broader journey and its aspirations for the future.
The purpose behind choosing India-based themes every year is to make our celebrations more than just a decoration. We want people who visit the pandal to see a story, understand the theme and perhaps think about the country in a different way.
India is made up of different languages, cultures, traditions and communities, and festivals are one of the places where these differences come together. During Ganesh Chaturthi, people from different backgrounds participate in the same celebrations, and that sense of unity is something we wanted to reflect as well.
For our association, completing 50 years is itself a milestone. We have seen the neighbourhood and the city change over the years, and this year’s theme gives us a chance to celebrate how far India has come while looking towards where we want it to go.
Through our Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, we hope to bring people together, celebrate India’s diversity and share a positive vision of its future.”
- Susheel Kumar, Member, Sri Mallikarjuna Nagar Youth Welfare Association