Muhammad Owais/Mumbai

Ganeshotsav in Mumbai and its suburbs is nothing short of an unprecedented and spectacular celebration! From the arrival of Bappa until the Visarjan (immersion), the entire city seems to drown in a unique flavour of devotion and enthusiasm.

On Anant Chaturdashi and other immersion days, a massive ocean of devotees surges onto the streets. Amidst the resounding beats of Dhol-Tasha, the flying 'gulal', and chants of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya', the marching feet often get exhausted by the scorching heat and fatigue. At such a time, amidst this massive crowd, Maharashtra got to witness a beautiful example of syncretic culture.

Hasan Khan, the owner of 'Master Bakery' in the Poonam Sagar area of Mira Road, adjoining Mumbai, along with his colleagues, has won everyone's hearts by setting up free sherbet stalls for thousands of Ganesh devotees participating in the immersion processions.

When Lokmanya Tilak started the public Ganeshotsav in 1893, his main objective was not merely religious. His primary goal was to bring people of all castes and religions in society together and instil a sense of social harmony and nationalism among them. Unfortunately, in today's times, we often see this festival being used for political gains to create divisions in society.

An area like Mira Road, which some time ago had become a topic of discussion across the state due to intense communal tension and controversies, when a picture of harmony and love emerges from that very Mira Road, its significance increases manifold. People like Hasan Khan are truly keeping that original vision of Tilak alive today.

Hasan Khan has been carrying out this noble initiative without fail on the day of Ganesh Visarjan for many years. Speaking about this, he said, "In the area where we live, people of all castes and religions live together in peace and harmony. Ganesh devotees walk for hours in the scorching heat and amidst massive crowds for Bappa's immersion. With the sole thought of providing some relief to these tired devotees and easing their fatigue, we all planned to distribute sherbet, and we do this every year."

Pandey, a Ganesh devotee and local resident of this area, shared, "This initiative is not limited to just one day. These sherbet stalls are specially set up on all the main days of immersion, i.e., the third, seventh, ninth, and eleventh days. Hundreds of Ganesh devotees enjoy this chilled sherbet and bless Khan saheb from the bottom of their hearts."

Hasan Khan's participation in this Ganeshotsav is not just limited to distributing sherbet. 'Master Bakery' also gives an annual donation to the public Ganeshotsav mandals in the area.

Pointing a finger at the current social atmosphere, Khan says with deep concern, "A completely different environment is being created everywhere these days. Hatred and misunderstandings about each other's religions are being spread. At such a time, it is very important to take such steps to bridge this gap of hatred and spread the message of love. We don't just celebrate Ganeshotsav, but we celebrate all festivals like Holi, Diwali, Eid, and Ramadan together with the citizens of our area."

Speaking proudly about the love received from society, Khan says, "People respect us a lot because of our behaviour. Not only is love and brotherhood increasing in society, but along with that, due to the blessings of the people, my business is also grew twofold. Because of this very love from the people, we received much more food and beverage orders than usual during the Ganeshotsav period."

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Reacting to this initiative, a Ganesh devotee made a very poignant remark, "Be it Hindu or Muslim, Sikh or Christian, such initiatives should be implemented by every community. A befitting reply can be given to those who try to create divisions in society and play politics in the name of religion only through such actions. To reduce the growing feeling of distance in people's hearts, what is truly needed today is the 'sweetness of such sherbet'!"

This incident in Mira Road tells us once again that no religion teaches hatred.