How online donation trend is changing Ganesh festival tradition of ‘vargani’ collection

“The process becomes completely paperless. When we start the broadcast, the mandal can send the links to registered devotees from their area, and there is no need to visit personally from door to door,” explained Sumit from 3ioNetra.

For 3ioNetra, the digital ‘vargani’ journey began eight years ago with GSB Seva Mandal in Mumbai. “We started with GSB Seva Mandal in Mumbai eight years ago, and then many others followed the trend. Now we give solutions to major mandals such as Girgaon cha Raja and many others in Pune as well. It helps to easily reach out to devotees digitally, and they can donate hassle-free with secure, transparent transactions,” Sumit added.

The digital platform addresses a challenge some mandals face today – dwindling membership and volunteer availability. Traditional door-to-door collection required substantial manpower and physical receipt management, accounting, creating logistical difficulties for organisers.

The digital system allows mandals to create comprehensive databases with devotee information and access virtual receipt books. Devotees receive donation links directly and can contribute online, while receiving instant digital receipts, making the entire process seamless and transparent.

“When people pay Vargani, the admin from the mandal gets notified and can track the transactions. The trend is growing, and many mandals have onboarded online platforms for collections,” said Sagar Narayani from 3ioNetra.

Post-festival benefits

Perhaps the major advantage comes after the festival concludes. Traditionally, mandals had to hire chartered accountants for accounting and maintaining records, adding to their expenses, and it was time-consuming.

“The most beneficial component of the Vargani app is post-festival, when mandals don’t need to pay CAs for accounting and tally. The software application generates the complete datasheet and can be used instantly for record-keeping,” Narayani said.

This digital transformation represents how traditional festivals are adapting to modern needs while maintaining their cultural essence, making participation more accessible for devotees and management more efficient for organisers.