{
  "id": 9661819,
  "title": "NRI siblings offer ‘US dollar-garland’ to Lord Ganesh in Gujarat village",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/nri-siblings-offer-us-dollar-garland-to-lord-ganesh-in-gujarat-village",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-25T00:30:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/nri-siblings-us-dollar-garland-ganesh-gujarat-village-10892885/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a village nestled within Gujarat's Navsari district, a Ganesh idol adorned with US dollar notes has emerged as a prominent draw. A brother-sister duo, Yash Patel and his sister Shivani, both residing in the United States, returned to their hometown to partake in the Ganeshotsav festival. They presented a garland worth $400 to the deity of Devsar no Raja, the local moniker for Lord Ganesh, installed in a pandal in the village of Devsar, located in Gandevi taluka. Yash, who has been working in a hotel in the US for the past 15 years, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to celebrate the festival with his hometown community. He stated, \"We feel fortunate to be back in our village and celebrate the festival alongside the villagers. Even though we can enjoy the festivities in America, there is a special joy in being with our hometown people. We are deeply connected to them, spending time in the fields and engaging in lively conversations during the evenings. We also extend our support to fellow villagers who face financial hardships for medical treatments and education, recognizing it as our duty to serve those in our own hometown, where we grew up.\" Since the donation of the dollar-garland on Sunday, the Ganesh pandal has attracted numerous visitors from Devsar and surrounding villages, as well as from the neighboring Bilimora taluka until the last day of the festival, on Thursday, September 25. With a population exceeding 8,000, the village boasts a significant number of NRIs, primarily based in the US, United Kingdom, France, and other European nations. Like Yash, several other NRIs have journeyed back to their native Navsari for the festival and contribute in distinctive ways to the local communities, such as sponsoring meals or aiding fellow villagers in need. The district witnessed the highest number of fatalities in July when torrential rains caused rivers to overflow, submerging villages. In the adjacent Vansda taluka, residents of Champawadi village warmly welcomed Satish Patel, an NRI who has roots in the village, and his family for the Ganesh festival. Satish Patel had relocated to the US five years ago and is currently employed at a private firm. The family chose to stay in Vansda for the Ganesh festival and returned to the United States once the celebrations concluded. This year, the family installed an idol of Lord Ganesh in the village square and conducted rituals for a period of ten days. Earlier in the week, Satish and his wife visited the Champawadi anganwadi and distributed biscuits and chocolates to the children. Satish remarked, \"We feel blessed spending time with the villagers of my village and helping them during their challenging times.\"",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Yash Patel and Shivani donate $400 US dollar garland to Lord Ganesh in Gujarat village",
    "Brothers Yash and Shivani return to hometown for Ganeshotsav festival",
    "NRIs from US, UK, France celebrate festival in Navsari district"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The NRI siblings' donation of a dollar-garland to Lord Ganesh reflects a broader trend of diaspora members returning to their Gujarat villages to support local communities and celebrate cultural festivals.",
  "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."
}