The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has greeted fellow-citizens on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
In his message the President has said, "On this joyous occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, I express my warm greetings and felicitations to all my fellow citizens.
The celebration of this festival which marks the birth of Lord Ganesha brings people from all walks of life together. The large scale public celebrations of this festival were successfully encouraged by the great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak to galvanize support for India’s Independence movement. On this day, let us resolve to renew the spirit and vision of this great leader and re-dedicate ourselves to the country’s development and progress.
May the festivities associated with Ganesh Chaturthi mark the beginning of fresh efforts towards building a new, just, strong and caring India where people live in happiness and harmony.
Let us celebrate this festival by reaffirming our faith in all that is good, noble and virtuous and instilling in ourselves pride in the composite culture of India”.
This release issued at 1230 hrs