Why in the News?

This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the Indian Express.

How did the Public Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Start?

May 1894: Governor George Robert Canning Harris issued a circular regulating music in religious processions in Poona with a communal bias.
July 1894: During the palkhi procession of saints Dnyanoba & Tukaram, disturbances occurred near a dargah in Poona.
Newspapers (Kalpataru, Mumbai Vaibhav, Indu Prakash, Deenbandhu, Subodh Patrika) urged people to reduce participation in Moharram that year.
July 22, 1894: Reports indicated preparations for Ganesh Chaturthi on a larger public scale in Poona.
September 13, 1894: For the first time, large Ganesh idols were taken out in public processions with immersion ceremonies, modeled on the style of tabut processions.
Press Accounts: The Times of India and The Mahratta noted the transformation of Ganpati celebrations from private household worship to community-wide public processions.

Newspapers:
- Through Kesari (Marathi) and The Mahratta (English), Lokmanya Tilak promoted Ganpati as a social and cultural festival.
1894–95: Advocated that the festival be used to foster unity and collective identity.
September 1895 (Kesari editorial): Stated that a nation requires common laws, a common language, and a shared cultural identity.
Contribution:
- Popularised Ganesh Chaturthi as a community celebration, open to all sections of society.
- Created a platform for mass participation, bridging the gap between political movements (Congress) and ordinary people.
Impact: Helped transform Ganesh Chaturthi into an instrument of socio-political mobilisation, while retaining its religious character.

[UPSC 2016] What was the main reason for the split in the Indian National Congress at Surat in 1907?

Options: (a) Introduction of communalism into Indian politics b Lord Minto

(b) Extremists’ lack of faith in the capacity of the moderates to negotiate with the British Government*

(d) Aurobindo Ghosh’s inability to the elected as the President of the Indian National Congress