CGM History

Mandar & Rajashree Deo relocate to Columbus, IN from Penn State, PA. They get together with Anand Gangal, Rajesh Patil, Sanjay Ursal, Mr Kolaskar, Nitin Kulkarni, and Arvind Ambedkar & other KPIT employees & volunteer to plan for Ganesh Festival.

Columbus Ganesh Utsav Mandal is formed. First Ganesh festival is held at the community hall of Parkview apartments.

Ganesh festival is held at City Hall. Columbus East High School auditorium is rented for a Hindi Orchestra from Chicago.

Ganesh festival is held at YES Cinema. Rising popularity of the celebration is reflected through articles published in local newspaper The Republic.

Ganesh festival becomes a window for larger Columbus community to understand Indian culture & heritage. Rituals like Pratishthapana puja & atharvasheersh sahasravartan (Chanting Ganpati Atharvasheersh prayer 1000 times) impart a real, true to home, traditional feeling to the festival.

Festival continues to attracts large crowds & people from Indian community beyond Columbus, IN. Every detail of the festival pays homage to the way Ganesh festival is celebrated in India.

Introduction of themed decoration tableau for Ganesh Festival. The themed decoration tableau has become a hallmark of CGM’s Ganesh Festival. 2010 – decoration theme – Lord Ganesh seated among clouds & stars.

Ganesh Festival is held at the new redesigned 'The Commons' - setting the foundation for a bigger festival with larger crowd. 2011 – decoration theme – Lord Ganesh seated on Surya rath (Chariot of the Sun)

Satyanarayan Puja ritual is added to the Ganesh Festival celebration. 2012 – decoration theme – Lord Ganesh seated in a forest among peacocks.

The current idol of Lord Ganesh with the palanquin is added to the celebration. Tasha (metal backed drum) & Jhaanj (cymbals) are added to immersion procession. 2013 – decoration theme – Lord Ganesh seated among Ashtavinayak Ganpati - Eight swayambhu (self-originated), unique & distinct Ganpati idols worshipped in temples across the state of Maharashtra in India

Columbus Ganesh Mandal (CGM) becomes a registered non-profit organization. This is 10th year of Ganesh Festival - The decoration theme is a temple created using packaged food boxes & cans. All the packaged food boxes & cans were donated to the Love Chapel (local charity in Columbus, IN) after the festival. The thumping Dhol (double headed drums) is added to immersion procession.

Hartalika puja is introduced as part of Ganesh Festival celebration. Indoor competitions are held to engage the community. 2015 decoration theme – Lord Ganesh seated on iconic Robert Stewart bridge, highlighting the architecture of Columbus, IN

Ganesh festival brings back nostalgia by holding outdoor competitions to engage the community. 2016 decoration theme – Jungle book

Kids Stotra (hymns) recitation competition introduced to engage kids. 2017 decoration theme - Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) achievement of launching 104 satellites in a single flight

 Phenomenal attendance of 350+ people every day & more than 1300 people for cultural program. Kids perform Lezim during immersion procession. 2018 decoration theme – Proposed Model of Sri Ganesh Mandir, Columbus IN

Highlighting importance of health – Suryanamaskar (Sun salutation) event was conducted during the festival. 2019 decoration theme – mechanical model of carnival. Change from static tableau to a moving, mechanical decoration

Virtual Ganesh Utsav was a ray of hope for everyone in the community amidst the pandemic. Virtual aarti every evening brought positivity to the entire community

OMKAR 2021 was celebrated responsibly with social distancing & usage of masks. Columbus Ganesh Mandal collaborated with the City of Columbus as part of Ethnic Expo to showcase Indian culture.

Columbus Ganesh Mandal celebrated the 75th Anniversary of India’s Independence. OMKAR 2022 was a combined event with Sri Ganesh Mandir’s Pratishthapana. Events like Photography workshop, Yogathon & Darshana – Hindu civilization exhibition by Hindu Svayamsevak Sangh (HSS) were conducted.

Showcasing the relevance of Ramayan in today’s life, OMKAR 2023 was filled with loads of new events like Ganesh Idol making workshop, Chess tournament, Antakshari, Ramraksha Stotra recitation competition & many more.

20th year of Columbus Ganesh Mandal was celebrated with pomp & galore. Mandal scaled up events like Ganesh idol making workshop, Chess tournaments, Antakshari & also introduced Carrom tournament this year.