Coupon counters set up in Panaji, Margao and Tisk, Sanvordem
Samir Bhat: Curchorem: What began as a fundraising initiative for a local Ganesh mandal has grown into one of the biggest donation coupon campaigns in Goa, with thousands of people participating every year in the hope of winning premium vehicles while supporting community celebrations.
The Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Sanvordem constituency, established in 1978, is preparing for its 49th year of Ganeshotsav celebrations. According to mandal president Vasudev Sahakari, one of the organisation’s strengths has been the continued involvement of its founder members.
“Most of our founder members are still alive and continue to participate in the celebrations with the same enthusiasm,” Sahakari said. The mandal now has around 100 members, including a women’s wing.
A major attraction of the mandal’s annual activities is its donation coupon initiative, coordinated by Sudin Kakodkar. He said the campaign witnessed a surge in popularity after attractive prizes were introduced in 2024.
“In 2024, for the first time, we included five four-wheelers and five two-wheelers as prizes. Considering the overwhelming response, the prizes were doubled last year. There were 10 four-wheelers and 10 two-wheelers, with an Audi car as the first prize. A total of 90,000 donation coupons, priced at Rs 300 each, were printed, and all were sold within a record 21 days,” Kakodkar said.
Encouraged by the response, the mandal has expanded the campaign this year. It has printed 1.2 lakh donation coupons, with each booklet containing 10 coupons priced at Rs 400 each.
“This year there are 15 four-wheelers, 15 two-wheelers and 15 cash prizes. The first prize is a BMW car, followed by an Audi, an Innova and other cars from well-known companies. Two of the cars are electric vehicles, and all are of the latest model. Among the 15 two-wheelers, five are electric vehicles. There are also 15 cash prizes of Rs 10,000 each for the booklet numbers of the donation coupons,” Kakodkar said.
To make the coupons more accessible, the mandal has opened donation coupon counters in Panaji, Margao and Tisk, Sanvordem.
