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Mumbai, September 7, 2022: Maharashtra Minister for Tourism Mangalprabhat Lodha today said, “Consul Generals of several countries exhibited a keenness and sought Darshan of Lord Ganaraya in Mumbai. Through these international ambassadors millions of devout tourists are also expected to come to Maharashtra during the Ganeshotsav festival that is set to become an international festival on scale in coming years with spreading of the word across the world.”
Shri Lodha noted that the government was trying to make the Ganeshotsav festival, that is celebrated on a large scale in Maharashtra, well known across the globe. As a part of this initiative, the Tourism Minister Shri Lodha welcomed Consul Generals of various countries in Mumbai for the darshan of five Lord Ganeshas in the city on behalf of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).
Today, during the second phase of this initiative Shri Lodha welcomed the Consul Generals of 15 countries in typical traditional fashion near the GSB Ganesh Mandal in Wadala and provided them an introduction regarding the glorious traditions of Ganeshotsav. MTDC Managing Director Jayashree Bhoj, General Manager Chandrasekhar Jaiswal and others were also present on this occasion.
The Minister for Tourism Shri. Lodha said, “Maharashtra is a treasure trove that has diverse avenues available for tourism. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, several activities are being implemented through the tourism department to attract domestic as well as foreign tourists to the state. ‘Utsav Tourism’ is one such part of the tourism initiative and special efforts will be made to promote all types of tourism in the future also.”
In the first phase, Consul Generals from ten foreign nations availed of darshan of lord Ganaraya on Friday also. Today in the second phase, Consul Generals from 15 countries visited the GSB Ganesh Mandal in Wadala, Ganesh Galli in Lalbagh and Raja of Lalbagh, Mohan Building in Girgaon as well as Ganesh at the oldest Keshavji Naik Chal started by Lokmanya Tilak. They were warmly welcomed on behalf of all the Ganesh Mandals, in a traditional manner and provided information regarding the festival.
On this occasion, one of the Consul Generals expressed his elation and happiness over receiving darshan of lord Ganaraya and witnessing the atmosphere that was filled with devotion. He appreciated the huge number of devotees and the planning being done by the Mandals to ensure a smooth darshan process.
At the inception of the program Ms Jayashree Bhoj and Mr Jaiswal welcomed the Mahavanijya Dutas in a traditional manner by tying a turban at the ceremony organized at the Guru Nanak Khalsa College. There were restrictions on Ganeshotsav during the last two years. This year, however, the festival is being celebrated with full enthusiasm across the state. In keeping with this all-round festive mood, an initiative to introduce this cultural, social and religious tradition to the international diaspora was also commenced.
Among the Consuls General participating in the event on Wednesday were Yashukata Fukahori of Japan, Anna Lekvall of Sweden, Anita Kelly of Ireland, Agus Saptono of Indonesia, Andrea Kun of South Africa, Jean Marc Serre Charlotte of France, Bart de Jong of the Netherlands, Donnavit Poolsawat of Thailand, Achim Fabig of Germany, Zaika Wardak of Afghanistan, New Zealand’s Norona Hayes, Britain’s Liaison Chief Matthew Sinclair, Sri Lanka’s Visa Officer Sumithra Migasmulla, Belgian Consul and Deputy Chief Julie van der Linden, Norway’s Consul General’s wife Hage Ronning, Italy’s Deputy Consul General Luigi Cascone and their colleagues were present
