Pune: Their ancestors moved from the Maratha heartland to the north during the Third Battle of Panipat circa 1761. Centuries later, after the Partition of 1947, the Marathi-speaking families of many of these travellers’ descendants remained settled in Pakistan. And, even today, they have managed to retain the connect to their Marathi roots. This year, nearly 700 Marathi-speaking Pakistani nationals are celebrating Ganeshotsav in the lanes of Karachi city amid much fanfare.On the first day of the festival, chants of “Ganapati Bappa Moraya” echoed as devotees took out a procession on a 5km stretch from Karachi’s Punjab Colony to Ratneshwar Mahadev temple. This year, the younger generation of Karachi’s Naik family, which has its roots in Maharashtra’s Konkan region, made a 5-ft tall Ganesh idol for the very first time.“We deliberately involved the youngsters in the idol-making process, so that they remain connected to our community’s religious traditions even while staying on this side of the border. From children to senior citizens, all members of our family participated in the activity. We are happy that we could install a 5-ft Lord Ganesha idol this year,” said Mukesh Naik, a member of the Marathi-speaking community of Karachi.The Naik family originally hails from Konkan, where Ganeshotsav has been feted in a traditional manner for centuries. Some members of their family moved to northern regions during the British rule in undivided India. After the Partition, they settled in Pakistan. For generations now, the Naiks have furthered the custom of celebrating Ganeshotsav with others in the community around them.Many such Marathi-speaking families connect with each other socially in Karachi under the umbrella of the Maharashtra Panchayat. Vishal Rajput, another such Marathi-speaking Pakistani national, told TOI on a call, “We want to keep our Marathi traditions alive while living in Pakistan. So, we celebrate every festival of ours — particularly Ganeshotsav — with much enthusiasm. Hundreds of community members here take part.”He added, “For the first time in our history, we are celebrating the festival for seven days at Karachi’s Ganesh Math Mandir. We conduct a daily aarti, distribute modaks and other Marathi traditional sweets as prasad, and will take out a procession with Lord Ganesha’s idol in the city.”Community members said they have expanded this festival’s celebrations in the last few years, including Sindhi and Punjabi-origin residents for the revelry. Organisers said it takes around one month to complete preparations ahead of the festivities.Vinod Daultram, another Marathi-speaking Karachi resident, told TOI, “Preparations begin with the beginning of the month of Shravan. While managing our daily work, we take out some time for idol-making, decorations and prasad preparations.”“This year’s 5ft-tall Ganesha idol was made in the span of a single month. Sculpting the face was the most difficult part. Since we did not have many references in Karachi, we took the help of social media and finally managed to bring out a beautiful idol,” Vinod added.Suman Naik, another Karachi resident, said preparing for this festival felt akin to serving the deity for her. “I painted the Ganesha idol for the first time, and I felt proud that I got the opportunity to connect with our religious tradition and serve god. Younger generations of our community in Pakistan should show enthusiasm for participating in such celebrations to remain connected to their roots.”
