It all started when Salman Khan’s sister Arpita insisted that the family should bring Lord Ganesha to home. The actor’s family that resides in Galaxy apartments in Bandra, Mumbai, has been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi for more than a decade. “We brought in Lord Ganesha 11 years ago because Arpita insisted.” tells Salma Khan to a daily.

That Salman Khan and his family are secular is no news. The actor had a very cosmopolitan upbringing as his parents Salim Khan (Muslim) and his mother now Salma (earlier Sushila Charak, a Hindu) belonged to two different religions, while Salman’s step mother Helen is a Catholic, and so is Salman’s sister-in-law Malaika Arora.

It’s also learnt that Salman Khan’s sisters Alvira Agnihotri and Arpita Khan are ardent followers of the elephant god, and often walk barefoot to the Siddhivinayak temple to pay their obeisance. In fact, during Ganesh Visarjan, every member of Salman Khan’s household actively participates in the procession -- dancing all the way to the sea with Ganpati.

Now, as Ganesh Chaturthi is here, Salman has taken a couple of days off from his busy shooting schedule to celebrate the festival with his family. While talking about his upbringing amidst various faiths, Salman says, “I feel blessed to be born and brought up in a house that respects every religion.”