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HYDERABAD, INDIA, September 23, 2004: It’s not just farmers in Andhra Pradesh but even Lord Ganesha there who can do with some free power, it seems. At 42-feet, this Jumbo Ganesha in Hyderabad towers over the rest of the elephant-Gods in the country. But keeping this 18-ton Guinness Book aspirant in well-lit cheer does not come cheap. So the organizers are demanding that, like the farmers, Lord Ganesha should get free power as well. “We are very harassed because of the power bill. Already we have paid some money and they are asking for more. I request that the government should give Lord Ganesha free current,” said S.Sudarshan, organizer. The tallest Ganesha is not the only one for whose halo and divine light, electricity is being sought free of cost. The others also want no discrimination on the basis of size. “It would be nice if the government gives free power for the entire period. We will also light up the entire street till the end of our boundary,” said one of the locals. Hyderabad has over 5,000 official Ganesh pandals (temporary temples set up on the streets). However, there are at least 15,000 more unofficial celebration centres, each competing with the other in grandeur. The special lighting for the 10-day festival is expected to run up a jumbo power bill of up to US$227,000. The government has so far been non-committal on whether it is willing to foot the power bill for the Ganesh festival lest it be drawn into a high voltage controversy where other religious structures demand a waiver as well.

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