Way back in the 1988, around 24 residents of Quepem decided to host a Sarvajanik Ganesh Ustsav at the very heart of the Quepem town, they had no funds and no financial backing. The residents decided to raise funds through donation lotteries hoping to raise funds to host a Sarvajanik Ganesh celebration that would unite people from the nearby villages.
Little did they know, 25 years later, the Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav would be an event that grosses a blockbuster Rs 2 crore rupees and sells one lakh donation lottery tickets and give out prizes like BMW’s and SUVs and also contribute towards student fees and assist people affected by flood and other calamities.
“As the founding president, I have seen this celebration grow over 28 years. Basically, Quepem never had a Ravindra Bhavan and people had to spend a lot to go to Margao to a theatre or a drama performance. Hence, we thought we’ll start a Ganesh celebration where people would unite to pray and watch some good drama and natak and spread a lot of joy in Quepem,” explains Prashant Shirvoiker, the founding president of the mandal which runs as a registered cooperative society, registered in Goa.
The lotteries for the Ganesh Mandal fundraiser are sold only within seven days and a total of one lakh lotteries are sold from August 7 to August 14 but despite the long queues and the huge demand for the lotteries, the organizing committee of seven members never extends the date or increases the number of tickets, just in a bid to raise more funds. They collect only what is required explains to us the current committee president Ram Bale.
Bale tells us that the committee raises enough money to buy the expensive vehicles for the prize money, erect the pandal and meet the expensive of a good Sarvajanik Ganesh celebration so that the entire locality feels festive and also to host seven days of good nataks and dramas in Konkani and Marathi so that people in the vicinity get a feel of good local entertainment and don’t have to spend to go to Margao to watch the same.
“The balance money we give 20 scholarships to students with good percentages and from an economically backward family. We assist twenty students from Holy Rosary School, Pope Pius XI High School and Government college of Quepem. Besides helping people whose property or homes maybe damaged due to the monsoons. We’re also saving to build a community hall for the residents of Quepem,” stated Shirvoiker.
Manoel Colaco, Quepem’s oldest municipal councilor and longest serving mayor tells us that the Sarvajanik Ganesh celebration cuts across political parties and religions and gathers the entire town of Quepem only because it’s for a good cause.
“People have seen the transparency of our lotteries where we conduct the draw on the last day of the Ganesh celebration i.e. on the ninth day of this Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav and we have a special way to see that there is a winner from each booklet and we have a special way of putting the counterfoils and people are so impressed by our transparency that stand in queues to buy these tickets. Our aim is not money or profits but only to host a celebration for the residents and assist students and the poor,” stated Shirvoiker.
