MUMBAI: Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who hails from Haryana, came to Mumbai nearly three years ago, to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. For the first time this year, she has brought Lord Ganesha home to participate in the state’s most prominent festival. Manushi, who will be making her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar soon, has opted for an eco-friendly murti, and even the decoration follows a similar theme. In an interview with Bombay Times, she spoke about the festivities.
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When asked what inspired her to host a five-day celebration, she said, “I came to Mumbai almost three years ago to take part in the Femina Miss India beauty pageant. At that time, along with a few suitcases, I carried a small Ganpati idol with me. When I was competing in the Femina Miss India pageant, my parents and my friends, too, had gifted me a small Ganpati idol. When I set off for my Miss World journey, even at that time, I was given a Ganesha idol for luck and prosperity. During all the important occasions of my life, Lord Ganesha has always been there with me. After being in the city for nearly three years, I have closely seen how Maharashtrians celebrate this festival. This year, as I was home due to the pandemic, I thought that I could devote a lot of time for the preparations and rituals.”
Sharing her early memories of Ganesh Chaturthi, she said, “Although we are originally from Haryana, due to my father’s job in the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) we travelled a lot. I spent seven years of my early life in Bengaluru, and we also lived in Delhi. I was always surrounded by a cosmopolitan crowd and army kids. We did celebrate the festival then, but the way we did it was different from how it is celebrated in Maharashtra. This is very new for me. I am very excited about it, but due to the pandemic, I can’t invite people, and I’m doing it in a humble setting. It is such a lovely tradition, and I wish to continue to do it year after year.”
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CREDITS: BOMBAY TIMES
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