The GSB Seva Mandal, renowned for hosting the wealthiest Ganpati celebration in Mumbai, saw an overwhelming response this year, with donations totaling Rs. 11.5 crore, as well as substantial offerings of silver and gold. The Mandal, which had insured its festival for Rs. 400 crore, also collected an estimated Rs. 1 crore in cash deposited in hundi boxes, according to reports from The Free Press Journal.
Amit Pai, President of the GSB Seva Mandal, highlighted the scale of this year’s contributions. “Donations have come in huge numbers through pujas and offerings from those whose ‘mannat’ has been fulfilled. The puja bookings alone have recorded Rs. 11.5 crores. Impressively, offerings in silver and gold were also received,” he stated.
Among the notable donations was 30 kg of silver utensils from a devotee from South India, along with 200 grams of yellow metal, which is currently being evaluated for purity. Pai also shared that despite the visarjan on September 11, cash from donation boxes is still being counted, with an estimated Rs. 1 crore already collected.
The pandal witnessed a surge in devotees this year, with 1.8 times more visitors compared to last year. Approximately 8 lakh devotees visited the King Circle pandal during the 5-day festival, with an average of 1.75 lakh visitors daily. The highest footfall occurred on September 9, a Monday, with over 2.5 lakh devotees attending. “It was surprising for us to see such a peak on a weekday. Our Annadanam service catered to 30,000 people that day, much higher than the usual daily average of 20,000,” Pai added.
In total, 82,000 pujas were performed, including 30,000 havans dedicated to Lord Ganesha. The GSB Seva Mandal is not only known for its grand Ganesh Utsav but also for its charitable activities and community service, providing aid to the needy year-round.
