After immersion, schoolchildren take up cleanup of Girgaon Chowpatty
Students of Rajasthani Mahila Mandal School ran a cleanliness drive at Girgaon Chowpatty after the Gauri-Ganpati immersion
Mumbai celebrates Ganeshotsav with great fervour and devotion, and an equally large responsibility falls on cleaning the beaches after the immersions. Carrying this message, children from Rajasthani Mahila Mandal School in the Grant Road area ran a cleanup drive at Girgaon Chowpatty. The drive was organised by the CMCA organisation after the Gauri-Ganpati immersion.
Large numbers of devotees gather at Girgaon Chowpatty every year for the Gauri-Ganpati immersion. After the immersion, flowers, garlands, nirmalya and various kinds of waste pile up on the shore in large quantities. To help keep the beach clean, the children themselves stepped in and spread the message of cleanliness.
During the drive, the children helped clean the area by picking up waste left on the shore. Instead of just learning about protecting the environment in class, the children got a chance to directly understand their social and environmental responsibility through hands-on work.
The importance of celebrating an eco-friendly festival is repeatedly stressed during Ganeshotsav. But keeping the beaches clean after immersion and not littering public places is also a major responsibility of citizens. Through this effort, the children conveyed the same message to Mumbaikars.
The drive, organised on the initiative of CMCA, helped raise awareness among children about cleanliness, civic duty and protecting the environment. The message from the drive was that while celebrating Ganeshotsav, the responsibility of maintaining nature and cleanliness in the city belongs to everyone.
When it comes to Mumbai's Ganeshotsav, the Ganesh immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty is considered its biggest attraction. Immersions of both household and public Ganesh idols take place here on different days of the festival. The Girgaon Chowpatty area sees especially heavy crowds of devotees on Gauri-Ganpati and Anant Chaturdashi.
Ganesh idols from different parts of Mumbai are brought to Girgaon Chowpatty for immersion. Amid the beat of dhol-tasha, clouds of gulal and chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, Agle Baras Tu Jaldi Aa", devotees bid farewell to their beloved Bappa. The immersion processions of several well-known public Ganeshotsav mandals also pass through South Mumbai on their way to Girgaon Chowpatty.
