Скачать или смотреть Ganesh Utsav Celebrations Surge

There has been a consistent growth in the observance and coming together of families and communities for the annual Hindu festival of Ganesh Utsav.

This, according to spiritual head of the Chickland Hindu Temple in Freeport, Pundit Ganesh Maharaj.

He said the festival, which honours Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and symbol of wisdom, was marked by the traditional ceremony to infuse life into a temporary clay murti of Maha Ganapati.

The pundit said although the festival is molded around children, an important aspect is extending help to those most in need.

"This is our prayer, that may the hungry be given food, may the homeless find a shelter, and may the destitute and the hopeless find hope and find encouragement during this time. We pray not just for us, we have a temple, we have a murti, we have clothes, we have food. We are the lucky ones. We are praying for those who don't have."

The murti was gifted by Chatak Foods and The Little Store Limited, with its representative, Vinayak Sankar, emphasising the importance of sustainability and community support.

"We at The Little Store are the first company to bring murtis, clay murtis, 100% fully immersible, eco-friendly, painted with non-toxic paints, murtis of Ganesh Baba all the way from India, and we are so happy that we can continue to sustain the economy and the environment by propagating murtis of this nature."

The murti, crafted entirely from biodegradable clay, will be immersed in the ocean at Carli Bay.