Aishwarya Rai to seek blessings of the Lord at ZEE’s biggest Ganesh Utsav in the US

Mumbai: ZEE TV and 1947 media will jointly host the biggest Ganesh Utsav celebration in New Jersey from 17- 21 September, 2015. And the one who will make her presence felt at the gala celebrations is former Miss World- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – who will soon make a comeback with ‘Jazbaa’.

Spanning over 5 days, the event will mark North America’s very first and biggest Sarvajanik (Community) Ganesh Utsav.

Over 150,000 people are expected to take part in the divine celebrations.

The celebration this year will begin on September 17th, which is the day of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sthapana), and will take place until September 21st, which will be the visarjan.

The idea is for people to experience the same celebrations, as they would in India. A few highlights in store for Ganesh Utsav will include; all day performances by contestants from DID North America, DID Super Moms, SRGMP winners, and appearances by some of the biggest TV stars.

Sameer Targe, GM of Asia TV USA says, “When we decided to enter the events space, we saw an obvious need to fill gaps towards events that are fun, and have something in store for everyone. Ganesh Utsav is a celebration that connects our community. Most importantly, we want for all Indians, especially 2nd and 3rd generation Indian Americans to experience what a Lal Bagh ka Raja feels like. We want them to experience how the Ganpati festival is celebrated in India, which is what we are bringing here, right in America!”

Piraan Erachshaw, President of 1947 Production and Entertainment says, “In partnership with ZEE TV, we are proud to successfully bring one of India’s favorite festivals to life for the very first time in the USA. The entire South Asian community will be able to experience the event in person instead of just viewing it digitally or on TV.”

This will be the second year for the spectacular festival. In its first year, the event was a huge success, attracting nearly 97,000 people. Held on 10 acres of open ground in Edison, New Jersey, also known as Little India, last year’s event attracted one of the most diverse crowds, with 25% Gujarati, 25% Telugu, 25% Punjabi, 10% Marathi, 5% Tamil, 5% Bengali, and 5% of various other backgrounds. Apart from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, attendees travelled all the way from Canada, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and even New England States.