New Delhi: When Lord Ganesha arrives riding on his mouse chariot, there comes a wave of fervour and happiness along with it. The entire nation gears up for the celebrations where the Lord stays with his devotees for 10 days. The dream city of Mumbai gets a makeover and no one remains untouched by the Ganpati colour.
If the festivities of Lalbaugcha Raja and Ganesh Galli Mumbaicha Raja are the places which witness the maximum footfall, there is another major attraction in this city during Ganpati Puja.
No, there is no other pandal bigger than these. It is the residence of superstar Salman Khan.
Salman Khan and his family indulge in the festivities with a lot of pomp and show. Apart from last year when Salman celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at his sister Alvira's farmhouse in Mumbai, he always rejoices in it in his home. Galaxy Apartments, his residence in Mumbai, is flooded with celebs and fans alike.
Also read: Revealed: Salman Khan's Ganpati idol is beautiful and eco-friendly
The happy events that come with Ganesh Chaturthi have a history with the Khan family. It all started in the year 2001 when the Muslim home began bringing Ganpati home. “We brought in Lord Ganesha 11 years ago because Arpita (Salman's little sister) insisted,” Salma Khan, their mother, told a leading daily years ago. “She was very keen and took it upon herself to organise every detail of the festival. As she promised, she has been organising it single-handedly every year since then.”
Since the inception, there hasn't been a single year when the family missed it. And it is not only about Salman. Even in his absence the Khan-daan performs all the rituals with the same zeal.
The siblings of the family have fond childhood memories of the festival. Alvia Khan, who is married to actor Atul Agnihotri recalled, “Though it wasn't celebrated at home, Ganpati was great fun. Salman bhai, Arbaaz bhai, Sohail and I would run down the street to join the Ganpati processions that would halt before our house. We would participate in the aarti dance.”
Over the past few years we have seen a lot of biggies from the industry head to Salman's house to seek blessings from the Lord. Last year, actors Karisma Kapoor, Sooraj Pancholi, Mini Mathur and Pulkit Samrat were seen at the revelry. In 2012, Sonakshi Sinha danced her heart out during the Ganpati Visarjan of Salman Khan's residence. That year Preity Zinta was also seen with Salman and Sohail Khan. Salman's ex-girlfriend actress Katrina Kaif has also been a regular visitor during those 10 days.
Being the star of the people, Salman always takes time to meet the thousands of fans who flood his home during the festival. Galaxy Apatrtments becomes no less than a fair those days with fans waiting for a glimpse of Salman.
A day before Ganesh Chaturthi, this year, Salman's sister Arpita Khan shared a picture of the eco-friendly idol which will be brought this time. As the entire nation waits for Ganpati Bappa to arrive, it will be worth seeing how the Khan family rejoices this time given it has been a good year so far for their darling son Salman Khan.
