As Ganeshotsav celebrations continue across Maharashtra, actor and content creator Prajakta Koli is observing Jyeshtha Gauri Pujan with her family. The three-day festival, celebrated from September 17 to 19 this year, holds a special place in her family and has been passed down through generations.
For Prajakta, the tradition began decades ago with her paternal great-grandmother. She had made a vow, and after it was fulfilled, the family brought a Gauri idol home. Years later, her parents revived the tradition, bringing Gauri back into their household 21 years ago.
Coming from the Koli community, Prajakta says her family follows a form of Gauri worship that differs from traditions followed in several other communities. In her household, the Goddess is known as Navsachi Gauri or Mannatwali Gauri.
The main idol remains at home and is brought out for the festival each year, while a temporary idol made from plants is used for visarjan. Prajakta describes the Goddess as a special guest who arrives at the family home and stays for about a day and a half before departing.
Much of her connection with the festival comes from childhood memories of preparations. From decorating the house to accompanying her father to the fish market early in the morning, Prajakta recalls how the entire family would participate in the celebrations.
Food is also an important part of the family's Gauri Pujan. Being from the Koli community, fish is a regular part of their meals, but the fish prepared during the festival holds particular significance for Prajakta. She recalls her mother preparing the same traditional recipe, which somehow feels different and especially delicious when served as part of the festival bhog.
The celebrations also bring together relatives, friends and members of the wider community. Prajakta looks forward to welcoming people she has met during the year to the family home for darshan and maha prasad.
In Koliwada, she says, the festival has a distinctly communal atmosphere. Homes remain open to visitors throughout the celebrations, allowing people to drop in for darshan. This open-door tradition makes Gauri Pujan a shared community experience rather than a celebration limited to individual households.
This year's festival is particularly special for Prajakta as it is her first Gauri Pujan after her marriage to legal professional Vrishank Khanal. Although the couple now have a home of their own, they are celebrating the festival with her parents. Prajakta says she continues to consider her parents' house her home and wanted to maintain the family tradition.
Another cherished part of the celebration is a traditional thushi necklace that has been passed down through generations. The jewellery was originally made by her mother's great-grandmother and has since been worn by several generations of women in the family, including Prajakta herself.
For Prajakta, Gauri Pujan is therefore more than a religious festival. It brings together family memories, traditional food, inherited jewellery and the communal spirit of Koli culture, allowing generations of customs to continue in a changing world.
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