From decorated pandals to modak: TV celebs welcome Ganpati home

Mumbai, Aug 30 (IANS) With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, just like everyone else, celebs also look to this festival with much excitement every year and celebrate the 10-day-long festival by bringing the Bappa idol home. It ends with immersing the idol in a nearby water body such as a river or the sea which is called visarjan.

TV actors open up on how they are planning to celebrate the festival this year and also share some memorable moments.

'Kundali Bhagya''s Abhishek Kapur shares that this year the festivity became more special for him as his mother from Delhi came all the way to celebrate it with him.

"For the last 6 years, Bappa has been visiting my house and in fact, for this year's celebration, I was surprised when my mother came all the way from Delhi to celebrate the festival with me. I enjoy the vibe of the city and the delicacies like modak," he shares.

Kapur adds that his excitement will be more if there is rainfall on the day of visarjan. "This occasion is one of the biggest festivals in Maharashtra and the way people dance their hearts out in Visarjan is just unbelievable. In case the rain starts, it will be just a cherry on top. l really like to host everyone when family and friends get together, for joy and aarti."

Popular TV actress Rajashree Thakur recalls how she used to celebrate the auspicious occasion during her childhood days.

She says: "I have been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi right from my childhood days. We used to celebrate it in my mother's house when I was young and now, I celebrate it with my family in my house, for seven days. It's almost like Diwali for us, and we actively take part in decorations."

The 'Apnappan' actress says being in a joint family the celebration used to be very big and prasad (food offered to God and distributed among devotees) was prepared at home.

"We have a huge joint family of almost 30 to 40 people. Initially, it used to be a 12-day celebration but now we all come together in these 7 days. The festive spirit is alive in the house, we do aarti, prepare the bhog and we enjoy to the fullest. When the time comes for visarjan, I become as emotional as I did when I was a kid, and break down into tears," shares Thakur.

'Khatron Ke Khiladi 11' winner Arjun Bijlani plans to bring the Ganpati idol home just one day before Ganesh Chaturthi.

"I'm a big supporter of eco-friendly Ganesha and today we are getting Bappa home as well. I want to thank all my friends family and well-wishers for always keeping me in their prayers. Ganpati Bappa Morya," he shares his wishes for his fans.

Neeharika Roy, on the other hand is celebrating the festival for the first time this year in Mumbai and she is really excited about it.

"The best part of this festival is when everyone installs Lord Ganpati murti (idol) which brings a lot of positivity and good vibes at home. I am planning to visit some of my friend's places and the famous Ganpati pandals in Mumbai to experience my first Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai."