Bangkok: The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Thailand celebrated Ganesh Utsav, a vibrant festival honouring Bhagwan Ganesha, who is known for wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. The festivities took place from September 14-15, 2024 at the Nimubitr Arena in the heart of Bangkok.
This year saw a double celebration – with one in Pattaya, Chonburi. Deo K Singh, Vice President of VHP, organised this in association with the Bharatiya Community of Pattaya. It was a grand affair and concluded with Visarjan on September 16, 2024. The event saw a gathering of Indians, Thais and other expatriates and tourists, who were all fascinated with this show of Indian culture and tradition.
Ganesh Utsav, a significant festival in Hindu culture, brings together communities to celebrate with enthusiasm and devotion. Like every year, this year, VHP Thailand hosted a series of events to mark this joyous occasion, including cultural performances, devotional music, and community service activities. The celebrations aim to promote cultural heritage, community spirit, and the values of unity and goodwill.
Event Highlights:
- Grand installation of Ganesh murti: The festival started with the installation of a beautifully crafted Ganesh murti, which was environment friendly and was the focal point of the celebrations on both the days. The beautifully made murti was a magnet for the eyes, many of which moistened up.
- High Profile Representation: Bhagwan Ganesha, known in Thailand as Phra Phi Kanet, is highly revered and beloved to Thais and other expatriates living in Bangkok. The Bharatiya (Indian) community too turned out in their thousands. There was high level representations from Embassies of Bharat (India), Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, along with local representations from Government ministries, TCEB, and top Thailand businesses.
- High Profile Representation at Pattaya: The celebrations were graced with the presence of Honourable Mayor of Pattaya, the head District Magistrate (DM) and other members of Pattaya City Councils. The authorities were very helpful in making this a successful event. The authorities requested to conduct this multi-cultural event annuall and Deo K. Singh assured them that they would do so
- Cultural Performances: Attendees enjoyed traditional music and dance performances, including classical Indian dances and bhajans (devotional songs), performed by local artists and a professional troupe from Kolkata.
- Interactive Workshops: Educational workshops on the significance of Ganesh Utsav and Hindu rituals were conducted. This year the focus was on clay modelling of Ganesha and Mandala making. This was aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the festival’s cultural and spiritual aspects.
- Visarjan – Sending Ganesha home: It was time to bid goodbye to bhagwan Ganesha, and there were moist eyes, and mostly gratitude for Bappa visiting us. Farewell was bid in a unique way as Bhagwan Ganesh was paraded across prime Bangkok area with Ganesha atop a grand Chariot pulled by devouts, including the young and the old.
“We are excited to bring the Ganesh Utsav celebrations to our community in Thailand,” said Vaishali Tushar Urumkar, President of VHP Thailand. “This festival is a time for joy, reflection, and togetherness. We thank Bappa for his blessings to all. VHP Thailand strives to bridge distances between communities by clearly demonstrating, through action, about the beauty of Hindu Dharma and traditions. This is the 17th edition of Ganesha Utsav, which was pioneered by the VHP in Thailand. We are glad that this year has seen thousands of celebrations being held by temples, associations, communities and in individual homes.”
