HYDERABAD: The trend of auctioning laddus put up as “prasad” before Lord Ganesha statues in various pandals has been catching up in the city. It has been no different this time too. The most well-known Balapur laddu got bid for a record Rs 18.9 lakh on Sunday.
Neighbourhood Ganesha pandals, many of them tucked away in lanes and inner streets of residential areas, too have joined the laddu auction bandwagon. On an average, auctions fetched organisers over Rs 5 lakh each, demonstrating the enthusiasm with which people have begun bidding for Ganesha laddus in the city.
Many of these auctions took place during late hours of Sunday and early hours of Monday. At the pandal of Ankush Friends Association in Gunfoundry, the final bid for the laddu went for Rs 5.2 lakh. Just a few yards away from this is the pandal set up by Evergreen Friends Association. The laddu here, however, fetched Rs 1.50 lakh.
At the Three Temples’ Ganesha pandal, city police constable B. Sai Krishna closed the bid for Rs 90,000. An organiser of this pandal Vasanth Balaji said, “Most people taking part in our auction are from middle class. By doing so, they are only lending a helping hand for installation of Ganapati. The winner can pay the amount any time before the next Vinayaka Chathurthi.”
Hype is building up on auction of Trishul Navyuvak Sangh’s pandal at Pan Mandi. It is expected to end on a high note with many local businesspersons taking part in this auction.
