Two-hour post-Ganesh Visarjan drive brings together citizens, corporate leaders and volunteers to restore Mumbai’s iconic coastline and turn collective responsibility into action
Mumbai, 26 September 2026: The morning after Mumbai’s grand Ganesh Visarjan celebrations, the spirit of collective responsibility took centre stage at Girgaon Chowpatty as more than 4,000 volunteers came together for a two-hour post-visarjan beach clean-up drive led by Change Is Us, in collaboration with The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. and Radio Mirchi.
Held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on 26 September, the initiative transformed one of Mumbai’s busiest beaches into a powerful demonstration of what can happen when citizens, organisations and communities come together with a shared purpose: to leave the city better than they found it.
Ganeshotsav is among Mumbai’s most cherished traditions, bringing together millions of citizens in a celebration that is deeply rooted in faith, culture and community. But the scale of the celebrations also creates a significant post-festival waste challenge, particularly across the city’s immersion sites.
Flowers and garlands, coconuts, cloth, puja materials, plastic packaging, thermocol and other immersion-related remnants can accumulate along the shoreline once the crowds disperse.
The post-visarjan clean-up therefore served as an important extension of the festival itself, moving from celebration to responsibility, and from participation to action.
The concentrated volunteer effort complemented ongoing civic clean-up operations, while demonstrating how citizen participation can add momentum to the city’s environmental efforts.
With more than 4,000 volunteers participating, the drive brought together employees, citizens, corporate leaders and environmental volunteers for a focused two-hour effort to restore Girgaon Chowpatty following Anant Chaturdashi.
For The New India Assurance Co. Ltd., the initiative reflects a broader commitment to taking its environmental and social responsibility agenda beyond intent and into visible, on-ground action.
Senior management representatives of The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. actively participated in the clean-up, including:
- Ms. Mary Abraham – General Manager
- Ms. V. Rema Devi – General Manager
- Ms. Rita Mishra – Deputy General Manager
- Mr. Virag Kumar – Deputy General Manager
- Mr. Khushal Gohil – Deputy General Manager
The participation of senior leadership reinforced the message that sustainability is not simply a corporate responsibility, it is a collective responsibility that requires participation at every level.
The collaboration with Change Is Us and Radio Mirchi helped take that message to a wider audience, creating a platform for citizens to move beyond awareness and participate directly in creating a cleaner public environment.
Representatives of The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. said, “Protecting people also means protecting the environment in which they live. Initiatives such as this remind us that environmental responsibility is not limited to organisations or institutions, it begins with each of us. When thousands of people come together and take action, even a two-hour effort can create a powerful collective impact.”
The initiative also reinforced a larger message for Mumbai: festivals and environmental responsibility do not have to exist in opposition.
As the city continues to celebrate its traditions at scale, there is an opportunity for citizens to make responsible celebration part of the tradition itself, from how festivals are celebrated to how communities respond once the celebrations end.
Through this collaboration, Change Is Us, The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. and Radio Mirchi aim to encourage more citizens to participate in community-led environmental action and recognise that the responsibility for Mumbai’s public spaces ultimately belongs to everyone who uses and enjoys them.
Established in 1919 by Sir Dorabji Tata and nationalised in 1973, The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. with 1,594 offices across India and operations in over 24 countries, the company recorded an all-time high Global Gross Written Premium of ₹47,000 crore in FY 2025–26, with a 12.74% share of the Indian market, while its Profit After Tax grew 40% year-on-year to ₹1,384 crore. Its continued recognition as a Domestic Systemically Important Insurer (D-SII) by IRDAI underscores its role in IndiaAs In’s financial ecosystem. Alongside its business performance, the company remains committed to initiatives that contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable and resilient society.