Ganpati mandals invite pujaris from native towns

MUMBAI: The scarcity of learned and well informed priests is palpably felt during Ganeshotsav. Certain mandals which organise multiple pujas on behalf of community members prefer to invite pujaris from their native towns. Ganeshotsav mandals run by the GSB community in King's Circle and Wadala pride themselves on conducting a variety of pujas from morning through afternoon.Members of the community can perform hom havan, mooda puja or tulabharam for a few thousand rupees either individually or in groups. The puja rates at Ganpati pandals are reportedly low, since the mandals claim to merely charge cost of material.
At the GSB Wadala pandal, 24 families were seen performing the mooda puja on a weekday. "We have invited 50 pujaris from Karnataka and Goa who have studied at our community mutt. They perform Gana homa, mooda puja, tulabharam and other rituals. We arrange boarding and lodging, and pay them a fee. Individual clients also offer them dakshina. Each pujari earns Rs 1 lakh on average during these 10 days," said mandal chairman N N Pal.
An elderly priest named Anant Bhat from Honavar has been coming to Wadala since 25 years during Ganeshotsav. The gentleman preferred to communicate in Sanskrit. "In all these years I have never visited any of Mumbai's landmarks. Firstly there is no time because we begin working from 7.00am and remain busy till 10.00pm. Moreover the overwhelming traffic dissuades me from stepping out. I stay put in the premises," he said.