'Prayers of 125 crore Indians have been answered,' said well-wishers of the former naval officer who has been incarcerated by Pakistan.
Devotees bid a grand farewell to their beloved Lord Ganesh as the immersion of idols began across Maharashtra on Thursday, marking the end of the 10-day-long mega festival.
It took 150 workers a total of four months to build this idol of Lord Ganesh, which cost approximately Rs 1 crore.
After losing two festive seasons to Covid-led restrictions, 2022 is seeing an uninhibited celebration of festivals. This is pushing up discretionary spend, which is attracting advertisers and brands, who are ready to capitalise on the momentum. The festive season has begun with Onam and Ganesh Chathurthi held earlier this month in Kerala and Maharashtra, respectively.
With Mindy Kaling producing as well as writing parts of Never Have I Ever, Indian-American characters are telling their own story instead of having it told for them.
The priest informed that seven rooms of the CM's residence were 'purified'.
If Kolkata has its Durga Puja, Mumbai has its Ganesha festival. Aditi Bose lists out her favourite Ganesha idols in the city.
Actress Puja Gupta talks about the experience of shooting for the film in hot air balloons, near stampeding elephants and in a lake frequented by hippopotami.
The festival season has already begun in the west and south of India with Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam, respectively, and consumer companies are witnessing a pick-up in sales compared to pre-Covid levels. Retailers, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer durables companies expect their sales to grow in double digits this festival season compared to pre-pandemic times, as there are no curbs on movement now. Adani Wilmar expects sales volume to be higher by 15-20 per cent as rural India has largely witnessed good monsoon rains, and employment has picked up in urban areas.
The 10-day Ganpati festival has commenced with devotees welcoming home Lord Ganesha with much fanfare!
It is Mumbai's favourite festival and is celebrated each year with fervour and frenzy. But when the city welcomes "Ganpati Bappa" this Friday, the celebrations will be low key. With a cap on the size of idols, ban on processions and restrictions on devotees visiting pandals, celebrations are toned down for the second year in a row. Festival budgets have shrunk and as a result, corporate sponsorships have dried out.
For these insurance policies, the premium can range between a few thousand and several lakhs depending on the size of the coverage.
Rediff readers from across the world send their photographs of Ganpatiji
As India all set to welcome Ganapati Bappa, we bring you snapshots of the many forms of the elephant-headed deity.
Married women pray to Goddess Gauri for marital bliss and the long life of their husbands. Unmarried girls worship her in order to get virtuous husbands.
Shifting positions on religiosity and Covid may confuse the Hindutva citizenry, but you can rely on Bengal to turn a non-arguable issue into a raging controversy, notes Kanika Datta.
Over four days all of Tamil Nadu is caught up in celebrating Pongal, the state's harvest festival. From a bonfire to worshipping cattle, it is a throwback to a time when society was agrarian, says A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com.
Standing tall at 18 feet, Mumbai's most famous Ganpati -- the Lalbaugcha Raja is here.
Most popular mandal in Mumbai, Lalbaugcha Raja, takes Rs 51 crore cover.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
A sneak peek into how residents of the Keshavji Naik Chawl in Girgaum, Mumbai, welcome Lord Ganesha.
While there was unrest in the rest of the Kashmir valley, the Dal Lake was serene and peaceful.
'If only she arrived at the station 60 seconds later, she would have missed her train, and thereby missed her death.'
Many would have racked up debt this Diwali, using credit cards and consumer loans. Here are a few simple steps on how to fix your financial mess, says Bindisha Sarang.
People poured their wrath on Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi for showing cruelty to the animal.
The 'Chhota don' may be down but certainly not out. And the same can be said of the Ganesh pandal once patronised by him, reports Anil Singh.
"Coming festivals (Chhat, Puja, Dussehra, Deepavali, Id, Xmas, New year) pose a huge challenge in the pandemic control. It has been seen that Onam in Kerala and Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra escalated the pandemic seriously. This must not be allowed to happen in Delhi," the report stated.
'This Sunday holds special significance for us, as we woke up to a new and transformed Sunday, with a feeling of relief that the lingering issue of Ayodhya dispute has been resolved once and for all'
This Ganesh Chaturthi, pledge to do these things do if you really want to please Lord Ganesha
Students' groups says they will go ahead with their plans while a BJP MLA vows to stop them.
These photographs show India in various colours and moods in 2015.
'I want to assure the country that no country, no government can tolerate anybody taking the law into their hands, whether it is an individual or a group.'
Satvik food is de rigueur this time of the year in most Western and Northern Indian homes, say chefs and food historians Arundhuti Dasgupta and Shally Seth Mohile.
Vikki Khanna and his family allow us to share the joys and the sorrow of these beautiful last moments, as they prepare to bid adieu to Lord Ganesha.
Ajay Bahadur Singh could not become a doctor because of family and financial constraints. He now helps financially challenged students from Bhubaneshwar become doctors.
Jayendra Saraswati, the shankaracharya of Kanchi, discusses the temple entry for women controversy, the Ram Janmabhoomi temple issue and gurus getting into business with Rediff.com's Saisuresh Sivaswamy and A Ganesh Nadar in his first interview since being acquitted recently by a court.
The close-onto four years (since November 2015) Peter has spent in Arthur Road jail, central Mumbai, in judicial custody, have taken their toll, lending him a bit of a melancholy stoop, a laborious gait and a tired face, turning him prematurely into a much older man than his nearly 64 years. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel/Rediff.com reports from the Sheena Bora murder trial.
The streets of Mumbai spilled with enthusiastic devotes as they welcomed Lord Ganesha into their homes.
One needs to carefully tread the thin but solid line between the sublime & the ridiculous.
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