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Journalism of Courage
SURAT, Sept 20: Commercialisation of festivals, it seems, is contagious. After Navratri, wherein the party plot culture have been slowly replacing the traditional garbas in residential societies, now even Ganesha mandals have begun to follow suit by displaying banners and hoardings advertising the sponsors’ products.
And though the trend has just begun to take roots, there are all indications that the practice is here to stay. Among the things offered for sponsorship include setting up of the pandals, lighting arrangements and even music system.
Says Dineshbhai of the Nanpura-based Khodiyarmata Yuvak Mandal — which has sponsors for the music system and lighting — “It is difficult to raise so much money. So when someone volunteers to sponsor and requests that his product be advertised we allow it. There is really no harm.” Advertisements of a shampoo company and a thread company adorn the pandal here.
Even the nine-foot Ganesha idol of the mandal is sponsored by an US-based NRI who used to earlier reside at Popat Mohalla. “He sends us the money every year for the idol, which reduces the financial burden considerably,” claims Dineshbhai.
Admits Swami Sampooranandji, a mahant, of the Hindu Milan Mandir, “With increasing costs and extravagant celebrations these days, sponsors are bound to volunteer. Such practices are acceptable as long as the sponsors do not depict anything indecent or outrageous.”
The Surat Shahar Ganeshotsava Samiti (SSGS), which has been co-ordinating the Ganesh festival for the past few years, is a part of the Hindu Milan Mandir, with mahants of the Mandir overseeing the functioning of the SSGS.
According to Sampooranandji, the issue of sponsorships had come up for discussion, while formulating the code of conduct, and organisers had contended it was difficult to raise the money required from residents of the area.
And as majority of the organisers felt that it was difficult to get each person to contribute more than Rs 100, while there were few who contributed in thousands and deserved to be given prominence in the mandals, sponsorships had been allowed.
The mahant, however, made it clear that only posters and banners of sponsors where there was no scope for indecency had been allowed. “There is no harm in having sponsors like soft drink companies, bakeries, furniture, software parts, etc,” said Sampooranandji adding that “no film posters, or anything obscene would be allowed.”
Incidentally, the SSGS has also banned idols being taken out for immersion on two-wheelers. There was a case two years back, when a motorcycle company took out idols for immersion on two-wheelers in a bid to advertise the product.
But even Sampooranandji is personally opposed to the idea of sponsorships. “But the least we can do is to ensure that indecency is not promoted in the name of sponsorship,” he pointed out.
