Mumbai Ganesh-Utsav 2024: Koli Community Demands Special Darshan Provisions At Lalbaugcha Raja After Mismanagement During Visit

Mumbai: The Koli community has demanded special provisions at Lalbaugcha Raja for darshan, after the community members faced inconvenience at the pandaal during their visit on Sunday. Members of the Koli community alleged of mismanagement at the lalbaugcha Raja and demanded special provisions for the community citing the community’s prominence in starting the Ganpati pandal.

On Sunday, around 450 members of the Koli community visited the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati pandal to seek blessings from ‘Navasa cha Raja’. Like every year, the community members were allowed specially without having to stand in the long queues of mukh darshan and charan darshan. However, the members alleged that other devotees were also allowed to enter along with them which created a chaos and stampede-like situation.

Mohit Ramle, city president of Akhil Koli Samaaj Sanskruti Samvardhan Sangh, said, “The community members had to reach the idol in such a mismanaged way that a lot of members returned without darshan. A woman fell down but was fortunately saved while a few kids had to be escorted out as they started feeling suffocated. One of the woman’s saree was torn-off in the rush. It could have turned into a stampede and therefore I believe that the community which started the Ganpati celebration in Lalbaug, should be welcomed in a better way.”

In 1934, women of the Koli community started the Ganpati celebration at Lalbaug with the name of Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, Lalbaug to fulfill a vow. After the Peru Chawl marketplace was shut down, the Koli women had to sell the fishes in open suffering from heat and rains. The fisherwomen vowed to start a ganpati celebration if a permanent market was made and after a new market was started, the women established the first Ganesha idol as a mark of gratitude against their vow. This idol was known as Marketcha Raja and later a mandal was formed during the independence struggle.

After the community faced discomfort during their recent vist, Kolis have demanded designated days to exclusively allow Koli community to get darshan. Citing the special arrangements made by the mandal for celebrities and VIPs, the community has demanded similar treatment at the pandaal from the next year.

“It feels good to know that people’s wishes are fulfilled at Lalbaugcha Raja started by the Koli community. However, the organisers should have better arrangements when we visit to seek blessings. If these provisions can be made for VIPs, so can be done for the community which started the celebration. We have verbally asked the organisers to designate a few days exclusively for the community from the next year,” added Ramle.