Hyderabad:A unique feature of Ganesh festivities in the city is that it has been changing over and over in the last few decades.Always celebrated on a high note across localities, colonies, gates communities, apartments and temples, the celebrations have been humongous.Rajan Babu, a retired banker from Lal Darwaza, said “Each year we notice a notable change in trend. Many significant changes have been there in the last two decades. More and more pandals are being set up. When we were teenagers we used to make clay idols with our own hands. They were used only for puja and bhajans. Lemon rice was the prasad. Now they have scaled up so high. Even the idol is costing around ₹10 lakh and a similar amount goes towards the decorations.”Retired RTC employee Malkam Nand Kumar recalled, “Those days we used to make drums using newspapers and create our own bands. Each day we used to go to nearby open places to collect leaves, flowers and fruits and worship Lord Ganesh. There used to be so much unity. Irrespective of one’s religion and faiths, all our neighbours would be an enthusiastic part of the celebration.” He added, “I cannot explain the transformation. Lighting, decorations, DJ, music bands and food distribution events that we see today were something we could not imagine back then.”
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