Ganesh Puja preparations underway at Maharashtra Niwas
Kolkata: One of Kolkata’s oldest Ganesh Pujas, first held in 1924 and an unmissable fixture on former CM Mamata Banerjee ’s calendar, is awaiting confirmation from chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and Governor R N Ravi for their presence in this year’s puja.
An organiser of the Maharashtra Niwas puja said invitations had been sent to both, but no confirmation had been received.
The trend continued for the 15 years she was the CM, barring only one year, said an official of Maharashtra Niwas. “The puja will be held between Sept 14 and Sept 25. Ganesh Puja begins on Chaturthi and ends on Chaturdashi,” said Vaishampayan, a resident of Kolkata since 1972. “The Mandal organised the first Ganesh Puja in 1924 on the same premises. A community member said more than 500 Maharashtrian families lived in Kolkata even about 15 or 20 years ago. The numbers have now dwindled to about 100 families, said Vaishampayan.
We are yet to receive any confirmation about their presence,” said Shrikant Vaishampayan, president of Maharashtra Mandal, which organises the Ganesh Puja at the Niwas. We do not want to get into any political controversy,” said a Mandal member. Lord Ganesha was worshipped within a small area surrounding the Mandal’s office,” said Diwakar Joshi, manager of Maharashtra Niwas, who has spent over three decades managing and looking after the property. During the pre-Independence era, the Bengal-Nagpur Railways (BNR) created a crucial link between Bengal and Maharashtra, and allowed easy commute for people, a community member said. Many went back to the native places after retirement,” he said.
Amid the changed political scene, the organisers have dropped Banerjee’s name from the invitee list. She had regularly visited the Ganesh Puja at Maharashtra Niwas on Hazra Road from a time when she was an opposition MP in Bengal. It was also the venue of many internal meetings of the Trinamool Congress . “We have invited CM Suvendu Adhikari and Governor R N Ravi to our puja. “We did not invite Banerjee this time. At Maharashtra Niwas, the puja will be held sticking to the almanac. The Maharashtra Mandal, an association of Maharashtrians in Kolkata, precedes the Niwas. The Niwas’ building did not exist at that time. “Many people have migrated for jobs.
Joshi’s father was a priest at the Niwas since the 1950s and passed away last year.