Taking its passion for green initiatives a step further, Oberoi Mall, one of the trendiest shopping destinations in Mumbai, set the tone for eco-friendly Ganpati festivities this year, by hosting Bollywood superstars Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan to launch the Times ‘Green Ganesha’ campaign. Being a LEED-certified mall, Oberoi Mall has always been a pioneer of sustainable options and inspiring environment friendly idols for the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Utsav is another move in this direction. Supporting this praise-worthy initiative, B-town favourites Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan arrived to a thunderous applause from the crowd and enthralled their fans with their camaraderie.

Engaging with the teeming crowd, both Anushka and Varun, explained the importance and benefits of celebrating the festival in an eco-friendly manner. Known for his cheerful banter, Varun Dhawan called out to the audience to enjoy the festivities responsibly, while the ever-joyful Anushka encouraged the youth to maintain discipline while festival proceedings were conducted smoothly. Cries of ‘Morya’ echoed in the atrium following the duo’s chant of ‘Ganpati Bappa’.

At another Ganapati event, as a part of Vision Viviana, Viviana Mall in its constant endeavour to empower the weaker sections of society launched a unique program keeping with the festive spirit of Ganesh Chathurthi. The community Ganesha installed at the Mall which is in its 6thyear, is inviting devotees to donate stationery material instead of the traditional sweets and other offerings.

The offerings in form of bags, pencils, erasers, books, and other forms of stationery will be collected over the entire festive period of 7 days and will in turn be handed over to Signal Shala, India’s first ever signal school for the underprivileged, that operates out of a shipping container under Teen Haat Signal flyover in Thane for children who earlier used to sell knick-knacks or beg at the traffic signal and Aarambh. The Mall authorities along with the retail outlets which are present in the mall have already contributed a considerable amount of stationery for the cause.

Commenting on the initiative, Ms. Rima Pradhan, Sr VP-Marketing, Viviana Mall said, “Since our inception we have proceeded as a community centre, every opportunity we get we ensure that we bolster distinctive causes we believe in. Through Vision Viviana’s #GiftKnowledge, this Ganapati, we aim to empower the kids of Signal Shala and Aarambh. And for the same, we anticipate your donations and offerings in the form of stationery.”