Viral Videos Highlight 'VIP Culture' at Lalbaugcha Raja: 'Isn't Faith Supposed to be Equal For All?'

Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja, one of the most revered Ganesh idols, is showcased in a grand pandal for around 11 days, attracting millions of devotees and pilgrims from across the globe. This year marked the pandal’s 91st anniversary, with Mukh Darshan and Navasachi beginning on September 7. As usual, videos from the pandal flooded social media, but this year, they inadvertently highlighted the stark disparity in treatment between VIPs and ordinary devotees.

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Industrialist Harsh Goenka shared a video from the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal that sheds light on the treatment of common devotees Alongside the video, he wreote, “Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all?”

The video opens to show dozens of devotees rushing into the pandal as soon as the gates open for darshan. As it progresses, security and staff can be seen forcefully closing the gates, while devotees struggle to enter. Towards the end, the camera captures a woman comforting another, hugging her tightly to ensure she is okay after experiencing the chaotic, stampede-like situation.

Watch the video shared by Harsh Goenka here:

In yet another video from the pandal, staff at the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal are seen handling devotees roughly as they were hurriedly pushed aside by security, without the chance to even bow before the Ganpati idol. On the other hand, a VIP family poses for pictures in front of the Ganesha idol.

Here’s another video that highlights the VIP culture at Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja below:

Since the videos were shared, they have sparked outrage online, with many pointing out the stark contrast between how VIPs are treated during darshan compared to the common devotees.

“Unfortunately haven’t taken darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja. I feel sorry for those devotees being pushed who stand in the queue for hours and hours and get a glimpse for a second whereas VIPs who break the queue get to stand there and take a selfie etc. God definitely doesn’t like this,” expressed an individual.

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Another added, “We have this concept of VIP darshan (in different manifestations) at almost all our popular places of worship. A lot of things on this planet need to be equal for all – faith, religion, law, access to quality education and healthcare etc. But the ground reality is very different. Unfortunately, we do not live in that kind of a world.”

“It should be declared ‘VIP only’ pandal, common people travel long distances and struggle a lot with their devotion to get this treatment and darshan for microseconds,” posted a third.

A fourth wrote, “We live in a world where the privileged think even god is available with better access to money! Funny how the ones who get privileged access end up taking selfies with the diety to show off and the commoners are just trying to get a few seconds of blessings.”