Meet the man who many say has taken over Pune’s Ganeshotsav
Punit Balan’s business group advertisements have taken over Ganesh pandals, roads, and decorations, much to the displeasure of residents who claim it is defacing the city’s landscape
Pune: In recent years, Pune’s Ganesh festival has been increasingly dominated by the presence of one name—Punit Balan. His business group’s advertisements have taken over pandals, roads, and decorations, much to the displeasure of residents who claim it is defacing the city’s landscape.
In 2023, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had fined Balan ₹3.2 crore for violating advertisement norms through a notice which the 38-year-old industrialist challenged saying it is “illegal” driven by “personal vendetta” and was leaked to the media to tarnish his reputation. He demanded the civic body to withdraw the notice and issue a public clarification.
Despite this, many feel PMC has been lenient with Balan, as banners and hoardings promoting his group as well as a bottled water brand controlled by wife Janhvi continue to flood central Pune, overshadowing the festival’s religious essence.
Balan rose to prominence during the Covid pandemic in 2020. When the government restricted outdoor celebrations, Balan, as festival chief of the Bhau Rangari Mandal, made his presence felt through advertisements in local newspapers. The Bhau Rangari Mandal, one of Pune’s oldest Ganesh mandals, was founded in 1892 by freedom fighter Bhau Rangari in Budhwar Peth. Balan took charge in 2018, promising to bring significant changes to the mandal within five years. “I had told Bhau Rangari Mandal office-bearers that they should not question me for the next five years and I will bring all the positive changes,” he had said in one of the earlier interviews.
By 2022, when Covid restrictions eased, Balan’s group had flooded the city with advertisements, so much so that people joked about whether Ganeshotsav itself would soon be credited to him. As one X user, Mayur Jain, sarcastically posted, “Few years from now when kids are asked who founded Ganeshotsav in Pune, they’ll say Punit Balan.”
Balan’s influence extended beyond Ganeshotsav. His group’s advertisements were also prominent during Dahi Handi celebrations. Balan has brushed off the criticism, stating his goal is to financially support mandals and elevate the festival to a global scale. Critics, however, argue that this amounts to the corporatisation of the 10-day celebration.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare took a jab at Balan on the eve of this year’s festival, posting on X, “Balan-mahotsav is starting tomorrow in Pune. The entire administration is ready for his arrival. Look at the defacement of Pune during a festival that symbolises prosperity.”
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said, “If most Ganpati mandals in Pune accept advertisements from Balan’s group, that’s their choice. The real issue is PMC’s failure to act against the defacement of the city and unpaid advertisement fees.”
In response, Balan pointed out that advertisements were widespread even before his sponsorships, particularly by Chinese mobile companies, and questioned why no one objected at the time.
“I have seen many criticism comments, including those by Sushma Andhare. My answer to the criticism is that earlier also there were heavy advertisements across Pune especially by Chinese mobile manufacturing firms. Did anyone object at that time?” he said.
Balan’s philanthropy, which he credits to his mother, Indrani Balan, has earned him a loyal following among some mandals. He claims to donate 30% of his earnings to social causes, particularly those linked to Hindu dharma. His Indrani Balan Foundation has funded 11 schools in Kashmir, including two for disabled children, and adopted a girls’ home for orphans in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In 2007-08, my mother took a promise from me that if I earn ₹100 in business, 30% should be paid to government as tax, 40% per cent for myself and remaining 30% cent for social work which revolve around Hindu dharma. Since then, I have made it a rule,” he said.
Beyond philanthropy, Balan is a businessman with interests in real estate, IT, and aviation and is married to Janhvi Dhariwal, daughter of the late gutkha tycoon Rasiklal Dhariwal.
He owns nine sports teams, eight of which are non-cricketing. He also produced the hit Marathi film - Mulshi Pattern - in 2018 and has invested in short films through his production house, Punit Balan Studios.
When asked about turnover of his company, Balan said, “By lord Ganesh’s grace, our business is running good with decent turnover and profit.”
Punit Balan’s father, S Balan, laid the foundation of the family’s real estate empire after moving to Pune from Madurai at 11. Punit followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the business at 18. Today, Punit Balan Group has developed over 50 million sq ft of commercial and residential projects across Pune, Bengaluru, Mangalore, and Dubai, as per the company’s website.
While his critics accuse him of overshadowing the Ganesh festival, Balan remains unfazed, focused on expanding his influence in both business and social initiatives
Though Balan has not explicitly voiced political ambitions, his critics speculate otherwise. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Balan supported BJP candidate Murlidhar Mohol, who won by a margin of 1.23 lakh votes. Following the win, Balan celebrated with Mohol at Kasba Peth.
Observers say Balan has political ambition, and the latter hasn’t denied it if an opportunity comes through. Baburao Satpute, superintendent, PMC skysign department, said, “For the Ganesh festival season, PMC has made free place banners for mandals that does not require our permission. The case related to imposing fine on Punit Balan group for illegal banners and hoardings is still pending.”