Seems the reality boom in Hyderabad is back with Telangana movement taking backstage for the time being. This sentiment seems to have played a major role in Ganesh-laddu auctions this year. A laddu offered to Ganesh by a private housing firm in Ameerpet fetched Rs 9.10 lakhs in an auction on Sunday, perhaps the highest for a laddu this year.
   
VVR Housing Pvt Ltd chief executive officer (Marketing) T Srinivas bought the Ganesh laddu weighing 59 kgs for Rs 9.10 lakhs in the auction held at its head office in Ameerpet. In 2010, three employees of the firm had bought laddu for Rs 6.50 lakhs. The firm has announced that the bid amount (Rs 9.10 lakhs) would be donated to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF).

After Ameerpet, Badangpet laddu managed to get Rs 6.20 lakhs. A realtor, P Venkat Reddy, from Badangpet village bought the 21 kg laddu for Rs 6.20 lakhs in an open auction. It was for the fourth time (2005, 2006 and 2007), the realtor had successfully bid for the laddu. In 2010, one G Narasimha had taken the sweet home for Rs 5.65 lakhs. "I have strong belief that the laddu ensures success in my real estate business," P Venkat Reddy told.

This year the Balapur laddu also set a new record in an open auction held by the Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi. The laddu fetched Rs 5.45 lakhs, Rs 10,000 more than the last year successful bid amount. Kolanu Brothers -  Kolanu Mohan Reddy and Kolanu Krishna Reddy, farmers from Balapur village -  bought the 21 kg laddu in the auction for Rs 5.45 lakhs. In 2010, a realtor, K Sridhar Babu, had bought the Balapur laddu for Rs 5.35 lakhs. Though this year too he participated in the auction, he quit the auction at Rs 5.40 lakhs. Though a 2,200 kg laddu was offered to the 52-feet Khairatabad Ganesh, the organisers, as always, did not conduct any auction. They distributed it among devotees.