Pune: Dagdusheth Ganpati’s Blessings Go Virtual; Hospital Patients Join the Festival Through VR Darshan
Pune, 30th August 2025: This Ganesh festival, the city’s most beloved deity, once again found a way to reach those who could not reach him. Patients confined to hospital beds experienced the grandeur of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati mandal through immersive virtual reality (VR) darshan, making faith and technology walk hand in hand.
Marking a decade of this compassionate initiative, the Dagdusheth Ganpati Trust, in collaboration with Suvarnayug Tarun Mandal and led by brothers Ajay and Sanjay Parge, brought Lord Ganesha’s presence to patients at Kamla Nehru Hospital (Mangalwar Peth) and Surya Sahyadri Hospital (Kasba Peth).
Wearing VR headsets, patients were transported into the festive crowd, surrounded by shimmering decorations and resonating chants. Some described the experience as “standing right next to the idol during aarti,” while others wept with emotion, saying, “Bappa came to us when we could not go to him.”
Technology Meets Tradition
Since 2016, this initiative has used 360° camera technology developed by Digital Art VRE Pvt. Ltd. to capture the aarti and recreate it as a lifelike virtual experience. Beyond visuals, it carries the atmosphere of devotion into hospital wards, offering patients a sense of spiritual healing.
“This project is not just about technology, it’s about giving hope and energy,” said Mahesh Suryawanshi, Treasurer of the Dagdusheth Ganpati Trust. “We want every devotee, no matter their condition, to feel Bappa’s blessings.”
For the Parge family, now in its third generation of service, the initiative represents the perfect blend of devotion and innovation. What began as a small experiment has become a cherished tradition, with patients eagerly awaiting their turn each year. Many now call it “a medicine of the soul.”
As the VR headsets light up with the glow of diyas and echo with the chorus of “Ganpati Bappa Morya,” this unique service proves that faith knows no walls—neither hospital wards nor boundaries of technology can confine it.
