Mumbai, has welcomed our beloved Lord Ganesha and serenaded him beautifully this Ganesh Chaturthi. No matter how harsh the rains have been, Mumbaikars celebrated the onset of this festival with great fervour as they waited to offer their prayers to Ganeshji with friends and family.
However, with the fast paced Mumbai culture, work & personal commitments become mundane while traditions and celebrations become a weekend affair. The long commute hours also mean that Mumbaikars miss out on mahurat hours for Ganesh Aaradhna. Hindustan Times, the second most-read English daily in Mumbai, decided to overcome this challenge in a unique way by bringing the Ganesh aarti to an estimated 7.5 million Mumbaikars who use the Mumbai local train.
Through the 11 days, multiple groups of Aarti mandalis will commute with Mumbaikars together to add a festive touch to their daily commute. Commuters can now chant the Ganesh Aarti with the Hindustan Times Aarti Mandalis on Central Railways and Western Railways between 8:00 A.M. & 12.00 P.M and between 4 P.M & 8.00 P.M.
Despite the heavy rainfall, several Mumbaikars have joined Hindustan Times so far in chanting prayers in the local trains. HT is also running a contest for people who join the prayers and festivities where the lucky winners will win an aerial view of the Ganpati Visarjan from a helicopter on the days of visarjan. So, let’s all come together and hop on the Bappa Express. Ganpati Bappa Morya!