india

Updated: Sep 07, 2019 05:47 IST

The heavy rains yet again didn’t succeed in breaking the spirits of Mumbaikars as they welcomed beloved Lord Ganesh and serenaded him gracefully this Ganesh Chaturthi. Despite the hash downpour and flooding, Mumbaikars celebrated the onset of the festival with great passion as they waited to offer their prayers to Lord Ganesha.

With bustling personal commitments and round-the-clock work life, it’s not too easy for people to keep on with the tradition and follow the celebrations, which then becomes a weekend affair. Most of the Mumbaikars miss out on mahurat hours to attend the Ganesh aarti, and to help make it a little easy, Hindustan Times, the second most-read English daily in Mumbai, has come up with a unique initiative.

It is estimated that over 7.5 million Mumbaikars commute through Mumbai locals daily. To fill out the gap, Hindustan Times has decided to put multiple groups of ‘Aarti Mandali’ team together to add a festive touch to Mumbaikar’s every day local train journey.

Mumbaikars can now chant the Ganesh aarti with Hindustan Times ‘Aarti Madali’ and offer their prayers to Lord Ganesha during the auspicious period of the day, every day. These groups will perform aarti on Central Railways and Western Railways during the morning peak hours 8 am to 12 pm and in the evening from 4 pm to 6 pm.

Keeping the needs and sentiments of Mumbaikars in mind, Hindustan Times has attempted to bring joy and unity while offering praise to Lord Ganesha in local trains this Ganesh Chaturthi. Even in this harsh, difficult weather, Mumbaikars can experience positive vibes, divine chants and togetherness.

Hindustan Times is also running a contest for Ganesh Chaturthi on digital platform. In order to participate and have a chance at winning, people have to click a picture of the Ganesh Aarti and upload it online. 15 lucky winners of this contest will get to enjoy an aerial view of the Ganpati Visarjan from a helicopter on 6th and 12th September.

Let’s all come together this Ganesh Chaturthi and make it an even bigger celebration.