Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday launched a digital platform to showcase stories and traditions associated with the Ganesh festival, with an aim to take the popular annual event to global audience and seek world heritage recognition for it.
The platform, bappa.org, is expected to feature stories related to Ganesh idols, festivals and traditions from around 40,000 villages in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said. During the event, entrepreneur Shripad Ashtekar handed over a cheque of ₹ 51 lakh to Fadnavis for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The newly-launched platform would present the emotional bond with Lord Ganesh and the diverse traditions and social dimensions associated with the festival dedicated to the elephant-headed God, he said.
The chief minister noted the initiative would showcase the social interaction, unity, enthusiasm and energy generated by Ganeshotsav and present the festival’s cultural significance to the world.
As part of the initiative, a large ‘modak’ sculpture would be taken to different places to highlight stories and cultural traditions associated with Ganeshotsav, he said. Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said bappa.org would bring together stories associated with household as well as public Ganesh festivals and provide a common platform to showcase their traditions, practices, beliefs and distinctive narratives. The initiative also seeks to draw UNESCO’s attention to Maharashtra’s rich Ganeshotsav traditions and work towards their recognition as cultural heritage, Shelar said.
