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Ganeshotsav: Maximum City prepares for minimal celebrations amid pandemic

Ganeshotsav, Mumbai's biggest annual festival, will shrink beyond recognition this year in response to pandemic restrictions and pinched spending power

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In light of Covid-19, according to guidelines by the state government and municipal authorities, devotees will have to wear masks and pray from a distance

Ranjita Ganesan New Delhi

5 min read Last Updated : Aug 21 2020 | 6:03 AM IST

“The enthusiasm is the same as every year,” says sculptor Eknath Gurav of Vile Parle, describing the run up to Ganesh Chaturthi in the city. “But there is no money.” Every year for three decades, Gurav has been shaping and painting likenesses of the elephant-headed deity out of earth-friendly clay and stones. “People are bargaining hard this time.”

His 250 idols, mostly two-feet tall, are priced at Rs 5,500 apiece but are selling for Rs 4,500. That is a dismal return, after adjusting for raw material costs and rent for his Mumbai workshop. He has had to reduce his team

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