As Mumbai gets ready to welcome Ganpati Bappa, mandals are already up and attracting devotees who are hanging around outside in a bid to get a sneak peek of the idol. While there is a mandate not to have idols taller than 4 feet, mandal organisers are still in discussions whether to allow a small number of devotees at the pandal.

Overall, there has been a stress on online darshan. Yet, in an extensive report in this paper, mandal organisers were quoted as saying that though there will be an emphasis on online darshan, they will be unable to turn away devotees if they visit the pandal.