Pandya Store fame Akshay Kharodia on balancing work & faith, says,'Ganpati Bappa brings his own time and peace

Actor Akshay Kharodia, known for his work in Pandya Store and Suhaagan, has a very special and personal bond with Lord Ganesha. Every year, he welcomes Ganpati Bappa into his home with love, but his tradition is unlike many others it began unexpectedly in 2018 and has since become an integral part of his life and family.

Akshay recalls that he never really planned on bringing Ganpati home. But in 2018, something shifted within him on the morning of Ganesh Chaturthi. That year, he happened to walk into a pandal in Lokhandwala, where he found just one idol left. “I felt that Bappa shouldn’t be left alone, so I decided to bring him home,” Akshay shares. What started as a spontaneous decision has now turned into a cherished yearly ritual.

Akshay kept Ganpati for five days. To his surprise, the attachment he felt was overwhelming. “I cried during Visarjan,” he admits. “From that moment onwards, it became a yearly ritual that I eagerly wait for. I decorate my Ganpati myself every year, and I’ve kept one rule—never to pre-book an idol.”

It became a yearly ritual that I eagerly wait for. I decorate my Ganpati myself every year, and I’ve kept one rule—never to pre-book an idol

- Akshay Kharodia

Never Pre-Book Unlike many who carefully select idols months in advance, Akshay has a unique belief. He always waits until the very last day and brings home whichever Ganpati idol is left. “I believe you cannot ‘book’ Bappa—he chooses us. That’s why I simply wait until the last day, and whichever idol is left, I take it as a sign that Bappa has chosen to come home with me.”

Despite a busy acting schedule, Akshay says Ganpati brings his own peace and balance into his life. “When Ganpati comes into your life, everything automatically falls into place. Even during my shoots for Pandya Store and Suhaagan, everything was well managed. Bappa brings his own time and peace along with him, and you don’t need to make any extra effort—it just happens.”

For Akshay, the festival isn’t about grandeur or pre-planning. It’s about faith, connection, and surrender. His story beautifully reflects how traditions sometimes find us, rather than us seeking them and how in his words, “Bappa chooses us, we don’t choose him.”