Ganeshotsav to Reach Five Districts of Kashmir from Next Year: Pune Mandals Lead Initiative
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 23rd August 2025: After more than three decades, the echoes of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” have begun to return to the Kashmir Valley, and from next year, Ganeshotsav will be celebrated across five districts. The initiative, driven by prominent Ganesh Mandals of Pune along with the support of young entrepreneur Punit Balan, is being seen as a cultural revival connecting Maharashtra’s festive traditions with the Valley.
From Lal Chowk to South Kashmir
The public celebration of Ganeshotsav resumed in Kashmir in 2023 after a 34-year gap, beginning with a one-and-a-half-day and five-day festival in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. In 2024, the festival expanded to three locations, and this year too it will be celebrated in three places.
In a symbolic ceremony held in Pune, the revered idols of city mandals were ritually worshipped before being sent to Kashmir. The Kesariwada Ganpati idol was handed over to the Lal Chowk Ganpati Mandal, the Sharda Gajanana idol of Akhil Mandai was given to Indiranagar Mandal in Srinagar, and the Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganapati idol was entrusted to a mandal in South Kashmir.
Ganesh Mandals Unite for Kashmir
At the ceremony, several Pune mandal representatives were present, including Suraj Thorat (Akhil Mandai Mandal), Anil Sapkal (Kesari Ganapati), Prithviraj Pardeshi (Guruji Talim Mandal), Vinayak Kadam (Tulshibaug Mandal), Prasad Kulkarni (Jogeshwari Mandal), and Sanjeev Jawale (Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Mandal). From Kashmir, activists including Mohit Bhan, Sandeep Raina, Sunny Raina, Amit Kumar Bhat, Sandeep Kaul, Shishan Chaku, and Uday Bhat extended their support.
‘We Want Ganeshotsav in Kashmir Like in Maharashtra’
Speaking on the occasion, Mohit Bhan of Ganpati Yar Mandal in Lal Chowk said: “Three years ago, there was a discussion with Balan about reviving Ganeshotsav in Kashmir. With his support, we celebrated it in Lal Chowk in 2023. Last year it spread to three places, and now we plan to celebrate in five districts. Our prayer is that with Bappa’s blessings, Kashmiri Pandits will once again live here happily, just like before.”
Balan: Bridging Traditions Between Pune and Kashmir
Festival chief and trustee of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganapati Mandal, Punit Balan, expressed pride in the effort: “Pune’s glorious Ganeshotsav is celebrated in 175 countries, but in Kashmir, a public Ganeshotsav was not held after 1989. For the last two years, we have been trying to fill this gap. Thanks to the positive response from Pune mandals and Kashmiri activists, Ganpati Bappa’s chants are once again being heard in the Valley. I am grateful to everyone who has supported this mission.”
A Cultural Revival
Ganesh Mandal workers believe that taking the festival to Kashmir is not just about rituals, but about reviving bonds of faith, culture, and community. With preparations already underway, next year’s Ganeshotsav across five districts of Kashmir is set to mark a historic milestone in reconnecting the Valley with Maharashtra’s cherished tradition.
