{
  "id": 8878826,
  "title": "31 years ago, Ganesha 'drank' milk and India went viral without social media",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/31-years-ago-ganesha-drank-milk-and-india-went-viral-without-social",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T08:12:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/31-years-ago-ganesha-drank-milk-and-india-went-viral-how-a-september-21-1995-claim-spread-from-temple-to-temple-crossed-borders-within-hours-and-became-a-global-story-without-social-media/articleshow/134383870.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Thirty-one years ago, on September 21, 1995, a young boy discovered that his aunt had gone to feed milk to Lord Ganesha. He called a friend, and both of them heard similar stories from their families. The next day, the boy's mother saw milk disappearing from her plate as she offered it to Ganesha. The tale spread like wildfire, with temples overflowing and milk vanishing from shops. India was largely offline in 1995, with internet access just beginning and television dominated by the state broadcaster Doordarshan. The news traveled through word of mouth, religious communities, radio, television, and newspapers, but the Ganesha story still managed to spread quickly, reaching Hindu communities around the world.",
  "summary": "In 1995, a fascinating phenomenon swept across India when Ganesha idols were believed to have consumed milk, igniting fervor among devotees. Temples experienced massive influxes of worshippers, while milk vanished from store shelves in no time. This incredible event gained momentum through traditional communication channels, with scientists later attributing the occurrence to capillary action and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}