During Ganeshotsav, priests in Mumbai faced packed schedules (Representative image)
One packed in 16 households in a single day; another handled 40 assignments with a team of four, while some squeezed ceremonies into 20 minutes to make it to the next home. The festival saw priests juggling packed schedules, multiple households and long hours, with some earning as much as Rs 1 lakh on the day of sthapana. Arvind Tiwari (42), for instance, got into a taxi he had rented for the day at 3am, opened his diary and mapped out a schedule that would take him through 16 clients in and around Malabar Hill and keep him working until 11pm. “Each one takes around 20 to 25 minutes. On the day of sthapana, Tiwari said he earned up to Rs 1 lakh, charging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 per puja, depending on the household.
Families, meanwhile, said they struggled to find priests, faced rushed ceremonies or turned to apps and online guidance to perform the rituals themselves. “I inform them in advance that the puja will be short,” Tiwari said. I move according to the given time; whether the dakshina is high or low makes no difference.
MUMBAI: This Ganeshotsav, some Mumbai priests were not counting prayers but appointments. If I reach a 4pm appointment at 6pm, I accept my mistake politely. For priests, Ganeshotsav remains one of the busiest and most lucrative periods of the year.
Mulund-based priest Bhavesh Narayan Joshi (50), however, is critical of ceremonies being compressed to 20 minutes. “If you perform the Panchayatana puja, 15 minutes goes just into that. How can it be done in 20 minutes? The replacement arrived late, rushed through a 20-minute ceremony while repeatedly checking his phone and refused to perform the concluding aarti, Wani said. Faced with an ageing family priest and difficulty finding a replacement, Ambernath resident Neppolian P Swamy (55) learned to perform the pran pratishtha and sthapana rituals himself. “For 1,000 people there is one doctor, but for 100 pandits, how many pandits are there? Ghatkopar resident Aparna Kumbhare (31) abandoned pandits years ago. Chembur-based chartered accountant Shashi Vyas has retained his traditional priest for 20 years. To accommodate the pandit’s 90-minute ritual, Vyas shifted his puja timing. “Earlier, we had a fixed time — 8.30am to 10am.
Ambernath resident Sulekha Wani (57), whose family has been hosting Ganpati for 25 years, had to find a replacement priest this year after their family pandit could not attend due to ill health. Because they have to go to 10-15 other places, even if you find someone at the last moment, they come and do some chanting very quickly. Now he says he will come at 6.30am so that he can finish by 8am and give the 8.30am slot to another family.
“Between 10am and 1pm, I received so many calls it was almost impossible to hold my phone,” he said. “Whoever gives 20 minutes to a client is 110% wrong,” Joshi said. “There was no emotion or devotion in it,” she said. “Availability of pandits itself is quite negligible now,” he said. They don’t work according to our time; we have to work according to their time,” she said. At the end of the day, it is about understanding and your bond with the pandit,” Vyas said.
Even Jha’s system had limits. He missed five households altogether this year, leaving them to perform the rituals themselves. At the same time, Joshi acknowledged the economics of the season, comparing the surge in demand and dakshina to ride-hailing apps. “It is just like booking an Ola or Uber during peak hours. Rates become four times higher. For families, the rush sometimes meant having to find alternatives or adjust their schedules. “It was just how you visit a clinic and the doctor quickly comes, gives you an injection and moves on. Wani’s family now plans to book a pandit six months in advance next year or conduct the puja themselves online. Other families are already doing so. He also pointed to fewer young people from priestly families choosing the profession, with many opting to become doctors, engineers or pursue other careers. One should find out. Tired of rushed ceremonies tailored to priests’ schedules, her family now relies entirely on a Marathi mobile app for sthapana and visarjan. “Panditjis are not easily available during Ganpati. Some families, however, continue to adjust their schedules to retain long-standing relationships with their priests. Once Ganpati festivities end, the number of assignments begins to fall, leaving priests with increasingly uncertain work through the rest of the year.
Working with a team of four, he handled 40 assignments on the first day alone. Prem Shankar Jha (38) allowed 45 minutes for each of his 15 clients in Kharghar, sending an assistant ahead to prepare when schedules became tight While Tiwari capped his pujas at 25 minutes. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
In Goregaon, Umanath Bhatt, who caters to politicians, actors and cricketers, said he survived on around two hours of sleep a night during the festival. If you rest now, you’ll have to keep resting for the rest of your life,” Bhatt said, adding that his earnings during the season were a “secret” he would not share. I ask my assistant to go upstairs and start preparing, while I conduct the puja here and then leave,” he said. If it comes, we keep working; if it doesn’t, we sit at home,” Tiwari said. “If I am travelling on a motorcycle, I put on Bluetooth earphones,” Jha said.
“You simply can’t rest. Priests used different ways to manage their schedules. “I have one appointment every hour. If there are two houses nearby, I give the same time to two households. “Sometimes there is less work, sometimes more. “To put it in our language, there is no certainty about customers or death. You never know when either will come. When Jha cannot make it to a client’s home, he instructs devotees to arrange the puja items and guides them through the ritual on a video call. Occasionally, he does not even stop moving to perform the puja. “I keep reciting the mantras, and they perform the rituals at home. The puja gets completed while I am riding my bike to the next client. Download the TOI App.