Panvel Urges Citizens to Document Ganeshotsav for UNESCO Heritage Bid
The Panvel Municipal Corporation on Monday issued an appeal urging residents, housing societies, and public Ganesh mandals across the Panvel municipal area to participate in a documentation drive. The initiative is part of the Maharashtra government's campaign to seek UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage recognition for the state's traditional Ganeshotsav.
Panvel Mayor Nitin Patil and Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale issued the call, urging citizens to document the traditions and practices associated with their Ganesh celebrations. Civic authorities noted that public participation is being encouraged to capture the diversity of celebrations across the state on a global platform.
The campaign seeks to document the rich social, cultural, and historical traditions surrounding Maharashtra's Ganeshotsav for its proposed recognition. Through this drive, the state seeks to showcase Ganeshotsav not merely as a religious festival, but as a cultural tradition encompassing community participation, art, food, music, social activities, and generations-old practices.
As part of the documentation exercise, residents can upload information about family and community traditions, customary rituals, historical stories, artistic decorations, and traditional food practices. Participants are required to document and submit their festival-related stories alongside supporting photographs and videos.
The civic body outlined three channels through which citizens can participate. Residents can scan the QR code displayed on official campaign banners, visit the official portal at Bappa.org, or send "Hi" on WhatsApp to 9136172681 to upload their stories, traditions, photographs, and videos.
The Maharashtra state government will also issue a 'Digital Cultural Preserver Certificate' to citizens and participants who take part in the documentation exercise, the civic body said.
The Panvel Municipal Corporation has appealed to social organisations, housing societies, public Ganesh mandals, and individual residents across the municipal area to participate in large numbers. Local officials emphasised that active citizen involvement will help document the city's contribution to Maharashtra's Ganeshotsav tradition.
