Actress Sonalee Kulkarni Honors 60-Year-Old Family Ganpati Tradition

As Ganeshotsav 2025 celebrations are in full swing, actress Sonalee Kulkarni reflects on her family's long-standing tradition of welcoming Ganpati Bappa home. For the past 6-7 years, Sonalee and her brother Atul have been creating the Ganpati idol at their home, carrying on a tradition that dates back over 60 years in their family.

This year, the Kulkarni household's Ganpati idol and decor have a nature-themed design, with the idol emerging from an elephant's trunk and made using eco-friendly materials. Sonalee shares that while they usually start sculpting the idol well in advance, their recent travels left them with only 3-4 days to complete it this time. Nevertheless, they are pleased to have pulled it off.

While Sonalee cherishes the annual Ganeshotsav celebrations, she admits missing the joint family festivities from her childhood. As a kid, she looked forward to Ganeshotsav because the extended family would come together to celebrate, and the cousins would go pandal-hopping and explore the Dehu market. These are the aspects of the festival that Sonalee misses the most now.

Despite the changes, Ganeshotsav remains an important celebration for Sonalee, both personally and professionally. She started performing on stage during the festival, and believes Ganpati Bappa has played a significant role in her journey as an artist. Sonalee considers Ganeshotsav a universal, multicultural festival that brings people together, regardless of language or background.