From Ovasa to Jakhadi: Manasi Mau’s Ganpati in Konkan Is a Return to Her Roots

Mumbai, 23rd September 2026: Every year, Ganpati brings with it a familiar rhythm for Lifestyle and Beauty Content Creator Manasi Mau. But this year, being back in her hometown village in Maharashtra’s Konkan region, has made the festival feel particularly personal. Away from the city and back in a space where these traditions are part of everyday life, Manasi has been documenting the way Ganpati is celebrated in her village – through aarti, the Ovasa and Gauri rituals, family gatherings and the spirited Jakhadi folk dance.

For Manasi, these are not traditions she has discovered for the first time through the festival. They are a part of where she comes from. Being back home has simply given her a chance to pause and experience them more closely, and to share that experience with the audience that follows her online.

Among the rituals she has been documenting is Ovasa, which forms part of the Gauri celebrations in Maharashtra. The ritual is traditionally performed by married women to worship Goddess Gauri, who is revered as a symbol of fertility and prosperity. It is one of the many traditions that continue to be observed within homes and communities during the festive period.

Then there is Jakhadi – a folk dance deeply associated with the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Famously performed during Ganeshotsav, it brings together music, movement and community participation, and has been one of the highlights of Manasi’s celebrations this year.

What makes the experience meaningful for her is the familiarity of it all. Growing up in a city can sometimes create distance from the customs and practices that are part of one’s family and hometown. Returning to Konkan has reminded Manasi of how easily that connection can fade when life gets busy.

“I don’t think I can ever explain how much I love being in touch with my roots. As you grow older, and especially if you grow up in a city, you kind of forget these things. It’s okay to move forward and be caught up in the world around you, but with everything changing so quickly, we sometimes forget who we are and where we come from. No matter what, I feel you should make the effort to learn about your roots and preserve them,” says Manasi.

That is also what she hopes comes through in the content she has been sharing from Konkan. Rather than simply showing the celebrations, she has been taking her audience along as she participates in them showing the rituals, the people and the traditions that make the festival feel different when celebrated at home.

For Manasi, documenting these moments is not about recreating a tradition for the camera. It is about holding on to something that already belongs to her. And perhaps, in sharing it with a younger, largely digital audience, making them curious enough to look back at their own roots too.

This Ganpati, her journey back to Konkan has been a reminder that some of the most meaningful celebrations are not necessarily the biggest ones. Sometimes, they are the familiar rituals, the people around you and the traditions you grew up with the ones that quietly tell you where you come from.