5-kg Ganesh laddu fetches ₹1.01 crore at Hyderabad’s Keerthi Richmond Villas, funds to support charity

A 5-kg Ganesh laddu, weighing less than its 10-kg counterpart from the previous year, fetched a staggering ₹1.01 crore at a charity auction in Keerthi Richmond Villas, Hyderabad. This year's auction, which took place two days earlier than usual amidst Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, saw a group of villa owners coming together to bid and purchase the laddu.

The proceeds from this year's auction, as always, will be donated to the RV Diya Charitable Trust, using the funds for various charitable activities. The trust, which began with a modest ₹25,000 bid in 2016, has grown into a multi-crore fundraising initiative, with the entire amount raised used for charitable programs without any administrative fees.

In 2025-26, the trust spent ₹1.66 crore on initiatives ranging from supporting over 750 students and children to assisting over 150 patients and training more than 300 people. Additionally, the trust reaches out to over 1,500 people daily and supports more than 100 animals, alongside contributing towards school fees and working with around 60 NGOs.

The trust aims to encourage more residential communities in Hyderabad to turn their festive traditions into sustained fundraising initiatives, allowing residents to collectively contribute towards social causes.