A youth gets addicted to smoking and alcohol and ends up ruining his life. Ganpati bappa finally guides him and grants him redemption.
This seven-minute 3D audiovisual show, propagating ill effects of addiction, drew in quite a crowd at Shivneri Mitra Mandal.
For the first time in 23 years since its inception, the Dombivli mandal witnessed a long queue at midnight for darshan. The moving images accompanied by a voice-over and music and lights conveyed the message.
The show was staged without any professional help or sponsorship. “We have to depend on household donations only. So we cannot afford to hire top professionals,” said Chandrashekhar Sanial (32), a bank manager associated with the mandal for 20 years.
Himesh Kamath (32), a civil engineer, helped bring alive the theme on stage. “Inspired by Lokmanya Tilak’s ideology of using Ganeshotsav as a platform to influence people, we decided to convey a social message in an interesting way,” added Salian.
However, the show did not divert devotees’ attention from the 8-ft idol atop five elephant heads luminous in pearl glow.
“The Ganpati idol is what matters most. But a social message makes the experience more enriching,” said Bhavna Patil (33), a housewife from Mulund.
{{/usCountry}}“The Ganpati idol is what matters most. But a social message makes the experience more enriching,” said Bhavna Patil (33), a housewife from Mulund.
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