Television actress Manasi Joshi Roy, best known for playing the titular role in the show 'Lakshmi Niwas', has opened up about stepping away from Ganeshotsav celebrations for nearly eight years — and why the tradition eventually found its way back into her home.

When the Celebrations Felt Hollow

Speaking candidly, the actress recalled how the annual festival, which once brought deep personal meaning, gradually transformed into an overwhelming social event at her household. Year after year, the duration of keeping Lord Ganpati's idol extended — from 1.5 days to 3 days — and the scope of festivities kept expanding. 'It was an endless flow of people, food, preparations and then suddenly one year I felt that I had lost my connect with HIM because I was too busy with the peripherals,' she said.

A telling conversation with her sister-in-law — who has celebrated the festival for far longer — reinforced what she was feeling. Her sister-in-law confessed that she too had grown so busy with all the activity that she 'couldn't have a conversation with my God.'

The Turning Point in 2015

That shared realisation prompted Manasi and her husband, actor Rohit Roy, to make a quiet but significant decision. 'And so in 2015 we stopped celebrating Ganeshotsav. He was in our Mandir and our prayers all year round, just not doing the whole rituals,' she explained.

She noted that the festival had, over decades, become a large social occasion — a dynamic she traced back to its origins. 'We all know that it wasn't meant to be a religious festival; it was started by Lokmanya Tilak to facilitate larger gatherings of people without invoking the suspicion of the British,' she said, adding that it has since grown into 'this big huge event.'

Rohit Roy's Simple Request Brings Ganpati Back

The hiatus lasted until 2023, when Rohit Roy expressed a quiet, personal wish to bring Ganpati home again — but differently. 'Rohit said, I want to bring Ganu home this year on Ganesh Chaturthi. But in a simple way. He just wanted to be with him,' Manasi recounted.

The couple have since continued the practice in that pared-back spirit. For Manasi, the shift represents a deliberate return to personal devotion over public spectacle — finding stillness in a festival often defined by its energy and crowds.

What Her Story Reflects

The actress's account resonates with a broader conversation many urban, middle-class families are quietly having: how large-scale religious celebrations can sometimes crowd out the intimacy they were originally meant to foster. Notably, her decision to step back was not a rejection of faith — Lord Ganpati remained a part of her daily prayers throughout the years — but a recalibration of how that faith was expressed.

As Ganeshotsav 2025 approaches across Mumbai and Maharashtra, Manasi Joshi Roy's reflection serves as a reminder that the most meaningful celebrations are often the quietest ones.