Ridhima Gupta By Express News Service HYDERABAD: The Ganesh festival which is celebrated with much pomp and splendour now has a special custom, ‘laddu auction’ which has gained in popularity over the years. This is a tradition where the devotees' bid for the sweet delicacy and are attracting thousands in the Secunderabad Cantonment area. The custom which has religious sentiments has left those who do not win the auction disappointed. After the massive popularity of Balapur laddu auction — the highest bidding so far at `16.60 lakh last year — the trend has influenced many devotees in Secunderabad cantonment area. Started with just one or two auctions a few years back, now it is followed in 10-15 Ganesh pandals in the area. It is believed that getting the laddu will bring success and prosperity to the bidders’ life in all the aspects including business growth, agriculture yield and good health. Hence, many devotees take part in the auction before the idol emersion. Speaking to the Express, a group of residents from New Vasivi colony who regularly take part in the auction said that it is “lord’s prasadam” which everyone wants to get their hands on at whatever price. A laddu auction winner from Vastavik Colony, G Sampath Kumar, said that this year he won the bid at `1,12,000 after he pipped 12 other bidders. “We started auctioning nine years ago. It started from `13,000 and now it is in lakhs,” he said. It was in 1994 that the laddu was first auctioned at `450.

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