Thousands from the Sutton Hindu community come together to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi or Ganeshotsav is a significant Hindu festival celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion across India and by the Indian diaspora worldwide to commemorate the birth of Hindu deity Ganesha.
Among the various communities that celebrate this festival outside of India, the Hindu community in the UK holds a particularly special place for Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival’s significance in this community is multifaceted and reflects the unique cultural fusion that occurs when Indian traditions meet the British multicultural landscape.
Several people across the country came together this year to celebrate the festival which will end today with the Ganpati Visarjan. Among those celebrating, was an Indian community organisation in Sutton which conducted a Ganeshotsav ceremony last weekend.
A 3,400 sqft marquee was erected to mark the occasion at Beddington Park in Beddington on Saturday, 23 September and Sunday, 24 September. This was organised by the Sutton Mitra Mandal.
The celebration embraced a wide range of Indian traditions, incorporating elements such as the welcome lezim dance from Maharashtra, yagnahoma performed in the South Indian style, arti ceremonies that blended Marathi and North Indian customs, along with everyone singing devotional bhajans together.
Close 5,000 people gathered to participate in the celebrations and over 3,500 devotees took part in the maha prasad (food).
More than 220 volunteers, ranging from teenagers to senior citizens, dedicated three months of hard work to ensure the event’s tremendous success.
The visarjan (immersion) program was overseen by dignitaries including Mayor Colin Stears, Deputy Mayor Louise Phelan of Sutton Borough, Leader of the Council Ruth Dombey, MP Elliot Colburn, Councillor Param Nanda, and Councillor Sunit Gordon.
