Ganesha Chaturthi Celebrated with Community of Slum Dwellers at Sai Baba Temple, Chembur
Team SSM Mumbai celebrated the auspicious festival of Ganesha Chaturthi with traditional fervor and great gusto with the community of slum dwellers residing near the Sai Baba Temple, Chembur on 3rd September 2022.
The community members had installed a majestic idol of Lord Ganesha in a beautifully decorated pandal near the temple on 31st August to mark the 10 days of festivities in honor of the god of beginnings, the remover of obstacles, and the lord of wisdom.
A special Ganesha aarati was conducted with a joint congregation of the community members and the SSM team members followed by the distribution of 100 meal trays to the faithful who had queued up for a glimpse of their favorite deity.
The simple yet nourishing meal of chole, pav, gulab jamuns, and pickle was followed up by sweet treats for the children: cream biscuits, bars of chocolate, and delectable modaks that are dearly loved by Lord Ganesha.
On the following day, 4th September, the team members pitched in with prasad for the entire community during the Gauri Puja which was performed to commemorate the Goddess Parvati.
The community members finally bid Lord Ganesha a fond farewell with loud chants of Ganapati Bappa Moriya, Pudchya Varshi Laukar Yaa - Hail Father Ganesh! Come back quickly next year- as the 10-day celebration ended with the visarjan or immersion of the deity on 9th September.
Once more, the famished school children, women domestic workers, and men of this community came together as one large family and partook of lentils, potato curry, rice, pickle, and gulab jamuns during the weekly annadaanam seva that was held on Saturday, 10th September, thus reinforcing the eternal circle of life and fraternity.