Ganapati Bappa Moraya 2018 ~ and insurance

It looks well-drafted Insurance coverage basket – Personal accident for 2244 people at 10 lakhs each; Public liability 20 Cr; All risks (gold & other valuables) 19 Cr – Standard Fire & Special Perils Policy 1 Cr ~  can you guess what these Sum(s) insured represent – and who the Insured could be !

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13^th Sept was Vinayaka Chathurthi ~ we celebrated the festival grandly by visiting Ganesa temples  and worshipping the tall idols installed at various parts of Chennai and all parts of Tamil Nadu.  In Maharashtra and other parts of India – there would be huge pandals and shouts of

Ganapati Bappa Moraya

would fill the air.  Have read that there is the story of bakth Moraya Gosavi, yet simple, it is invocation of Lord Vigneswara – ‘Ganeshji come ahead and bless us’ is invitation to Him.

It is one of the most anticipated festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi marks the day Lord Ganesha was born. In Mumbai (and many parts of the country)  it is a 10 day festivity culminating with visarjan (immersion in sea, river or big water body). During the festivities, people from across the state visit various temples and Ganesh pandals, of which the best known is Lalbaugcha Raja. The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has been having a pandal for 85 years in a narrow lane of Lalbaug market in central Mumbai, and it’s one of the most celebrated and worshipped Ganesha idols.

Lal baghcha Raja (The King of Lalbaug) is the most famous Sarvajanik Ganapati kept at Lalbaug, a prominent locality in Mumbai during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The idol is kept for public display for 11 days; thereafter it is immersed on the auspicious day of Anant Chaturdashi. This  idol of Lord Ganesha is Navsacha Ganpati ("one who fulfills all wishes") and hence over 1.5 million people visit this Ganesh Pandal daily during the festivities.The 'mandal' was founded because of a vow  for construction of the present Lalbaug Market at its existing place. The marketplace at Peru Chawl was shut down in 1932. Hence, the fishermen and vendors who used to sit in the open place vowed to Ganesha for permanent place for their market. With the consistent efforts and support of a group of people, the landlord Rajabai Tayyabali agreed to give a plot for construction of a market. As fulfillment of their wish, the fisherman and traders established the Ganesh idol on 12 September 1934. The idol was dressed in the customary fashion of fisherman. Since that day, this idol of has become popular as He fulfills the wishes of devotees. The mandal was formed in the era when the freedom struggle was at its peak.

The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol has been organized by the Kambli family for over eight decades. The family have their workshop in a little lane off the main road in Lalbaug, not very far from the pandal. The father of Ratnakar Kambli (the head of the Kambli family) was a sculptor of idols and had roaming exhibitions at festivals across Maharashtra. Kambli Arts makes the parts of the Lalbaugcha Raja idol at its workshop; these are taken to the pandal where they are assembled and painted. Finally, Ratnakar, who is nearly 80 years old, goes to the pandal and draws the eyes. The height is 20 ft.

What you read in first para is Insurance of Ganesa in pandal .. .. that of famous GSB.  According  to Dna India, this year too,  mandals across Mumbai have sought multi-crore insurance covers for the 10-day festival period.  Mumbai’s wealthiest mandal, Gowd Saraswat Brahman Ganesh Mandal (GSB), has taken insurance cover for a whopping Rs 264.75 crore, while the most-visited Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal located at Lalbaug has opted for an insurance cover of Rs 25 crore.  GSB is considered the richest mandal in the city because of dazzling gold ornaments that adorn the idol.

The mandal celebrates five-day Ganesh Chaturthi, unlike the other big mandals where the deity is immersed on the 10^th  day, and thus it is secured with an insurance of Rs 52.85 crore per day. Its insurance covers for all devotees and the deity’s ornaments against terror attacks, accidents, burglary or external damage. The biggest component of the insurance package is the Rs 224.40-crore cover for personal accident that includes volunteers and workers, at Rs 10 lakh per person. The pandal, including the CCTV, furniture and fixtures, grocery, fruits, vegetables and computers is covered from fire, natural calamities, riots, strike, rail or road damages, electrical damage, earthquakes.

The mandal has taken insurance from the day of Ganesh Chaturthi until the ornaments are safely deposited in the bank, claimed another member.

Interesting !  ~ meanwhile the violence unleashed on the Vinayaka procession at Sengottai makes us feel sad .. .. in Tamil Nadu, it is often a challenge even for a religious procession to pass through some areas !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

14^th Sept 2018.