This Ganeshotsav, Nikhil Rasal from Satara and the Adarsh Mitra Mandal of Gharat Aali (lane), Alibag, have used their Ganpati decorations to highlight the public service of Tukaram Mundhe, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, turning the festival into a platform for civic awareness.
Ganeshotsav is often associated with elaborate pandals and decor that require weeks of meticulous planning and preparation.
However, for some devotees, the festive theme extends far beyond aesthetics and ritual tradition.
Rediff's Hemantkumar Shivsharan spoke to two organisers who have creatively used news clippings, placards, and public records to urge visitors to reflect on civic responsibility and institutional reform.
Nikhil Rasal's 26th Ganpati celebrates Tukaram Mundhe's tenure
For Nikhil Rasal, celebrating Ganeshotsav at home has been a lifelong family tradition.
His father began the practice of welcoming Lord Ganesha the year Nikhil was born, and 2026 marks the 26th consecutive year of the celebration at their residence in Varad Vinayak Colony, Karanje Peth, Satara.
A software engineer with a local IT firm, Nikhil chose "Tukaram Mundhe's work and the need for systemic accountability" as the central concept for this year's display.
Assembled over three days with help from family and friends, the display sidesteps standard ornamental props in favour of civic documentation.
Nikhil curated newspaper reports, infographics and placards detailing Mundhe's bureaucratic record: Eight hotel licence suspensions, 1,100 enforcement raids, 25 transfers, and 21 years of administrative service.
The exhibits also detail specific public health interventions, such as restrictions on junk food vendors near schools and penal action against commercial firms flouting safety licences.
Visual messaging on food adulteration
Among the most arresting elements of the installation is a before-and-after showcase featuring street staples such as noodles, chicken manchurian, and jalebis. The vividly dyed items gradually transition into colourless counterparts, visually demonstrating the hazards of artificial synthetic dyes and advocating food safety compliance.
An engineer with an ear for verse
Creative pursuits are familiar ground for Nikhil. He took to Marathi verse whilst in Class 4, an interest that eventually culminated in his debut poetry collection, Kavi Shabdancha Duniyetla, published in 2020 when he was 20. Balancing code with creative writing, he shares his compositions online under the handle @kavi_shabdanchya_duniyet.
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In Alibag, Adarsh Mitra Mandal mounts 'Janajagrutiche Tukaram'
While Nikhil created a domestic, gharguti arrangement, the Adarsh Mitra Mandal of Gharat Aali in Alibag, Raigad, opted for a broader public installation drawing a parallel between 17th-century poet-saint Sant Tukaram and civil servant Tukaram Mundhe.
Established in 1989, the mandal is marking its 38th year of community celebrations.
The 2026 installation, titled Janajagrutiche Tukaram, carries the Marathi tagline: 'Nusth naavathach nahi, tar kaamath hi Ram (Devotion and duty not merely in name, but evident through deed).'
Community outreach through topical pandals
This is not the first time the Alibag collective has used the festival to spark debate on topical social issues.
In 2025, the mandal designed an installation addressing female foeticide. Past themes have spanned Operation Sindoor, single-use plastic eradication, literacy drives, and afforestation campaigns.
The mandal's public engagement extends past the 10-day festival to year-round civic work, including voluntary blood donation camps, stationery drives for underprivileged schoolchildren, disaster relief during regional floods and earthquakes, and grassroots student competitions.
Over the years, the organisation has earned commendations from taluka, district, and state authorities for its sustained community welfare drives.
Text and Presentation: Hemantkumar Shivsharan/Rediff
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