E-Paper
From helping a cause to sending out a social message, these unique Pune mandals are a must watch
The ten-day Ganeshotsav began with great pomp in the city after a gap of two years
The ten-day Ganeshotsav began with great pomp in the city after a gap of two years. While the five Manache Ganpati mandals attract huge crowds, other smaller mandals too are worth the watch. From helping a cause to sending out a social message through ‘live dekhavas’ these unique mandals also have a story to tell. HT has scouted a list of these mandals which just cannot be missed.
Visit space with Navjyot Ganpati mandal, Yerawada
This Ganpati mandal, housed in the bylanes of Yerawada has staged a unique dekhava based on the space research and development done by ISRO during 75 years of India’s independence. The mandal volunteers have created seven types of rockets, space engines and also replicas of Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan space missions. What’s unique is that all these replicas are made of scrap and other household materials.
Amit Jadhav, president of the mandal said, “We decided to show ISRO’s journey through this dekhava. As I am an engineer, I designed all the replicas of rockers with volunteers. These are made from scraps. The aim is to create awareness among children with regards to space and missions of ISRO. We have also made an audio-video documentary about launches done by ISRO.”
Maharashtra Tarun mandal in Budhwar peth salutes frontline workers
One of the oldest Ganpati mandals in the city, the Maharashtra Tarun mandal is situated in the heart of the red light area- Budhwar peth. The mandal aims to spread the message ‘Humanity is religion’ through its dekhava. The pandemic affected everyone, irrespective of caste, and mandal volunteers worked tirelessly to help people in the area.
Pruthviraj Yelwande, president of the mandal said, “During the lockdown mandal volunteers ensured the needs of people are taken care off. There is a Muslim family in the area, which solely helped cremate 1,000 people despite having different religions. Taking this story as an example, we aim to tell people that humanity is the only religion through our dekhava and help create awareness.”
Garbage awareness at Erandwane’s Maruti Balganesh mandal
Taking Pune’s most important issue of garbage collection and segregation head on is Erandwane’s Shree Shani Maruti Balganesh mandal. The mandal will not only create awareness about the issue, but will also work with officials for the next ten days. The mandals theme is various types of garbage. At the pandal, e-waste and medical waste will be collected by volunteers. Various other initiatives are also planned with PMC.
“Doing lavish decor is not enough during Ganesh festival. This festival should be taken as an opportunity to educate people. The mandal volunteers will collect waste at the pandal. We have also made a presentation on segregating waste and how to dispose it for the public’s information,” said Sachin Pawar, president of the mandal.
Back to school with Sanyukta Prasad Mitra mandal, Narayan peth
The idol at Sanyukta Prasad Mitra mandal at Narayan peth is the main attraction. This year, the mandal has made an idol out of school stationery items.
“Students have been confined to online classes due to the pandemic. Now, the parents are finding it difficult to send their children to school physically. So, to attract students towards offline and physical studies we have made the Ganpati idol out of stationary items like pencils, pens, globe, books, rubber, tiffin boxes, fevicol, compass box, school bags, dairies and other things,” said Ajit Paranjpe, president of the mandal.
