Mandals take out grand processions in Pune, Bappa greeted with sounds of drums
Dressed in traditional attire, residents thronged peth areas to witness dhol tasha acts and processions
With Covid pandemic no longer casting its shadow, Ganesh festival began with fervour and gaiety amid people welcoming their beloved Bappa with enthusiasm on Wednesday.
While residents installed the idols of elephant god at homes, citizens and mandals across the city carried out grand processions of the deity drawing in huge crowd. Lord Ganesh, the god of prosperity and wisdom and a slayer of obstacles (“vighna-harta”), was installed across the country. Citizens dressed in traditional clothes brought Bappa home in the morning and installed the idols amid hymns and prayers as a part of the 10-day festival that has gripped the city. Most streets in Pune were dotted with lines of Ganesh idols in creative “makhars” (decorative material). Housing societies too installed Bappa with fanfare.
At most places, “pranpratisthapana” (installation) was done in the morning while few mandals preferred to do it by evening. Citizens with family members thronged various areas to bring home Bappa.
As the Covid pandemic-induced restrictions, now lifted, had curtailed the celebration in the last two years, the public celebration of the festival in roadside Ganesh pandals is expected to be on a bigger scale this year.
The public celebration of the festival in Maharashtra dates back to the 1890s when the nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak and others decided to use it to mobilise the masses.
This year, Ganpati mandals have planned grand celebrations for the ten-day festival with various activities.
“At the Dagdusheth Ganpati mandal, we have installed a replica of the ‘Panchakedar temple’ and all arrangements have been made for darshan,” said a representative of the mandal.
The procession of Kasba Ganpati, the first Manacha Ganpati, started in traditional silver palkhi in the morning from Kunte chowk. The mandal enters its 130th year of formation. Along with traditional dhol-tasha pathaks (troupe), bands and Sanai Chowghada performance, the procession reached Mandal. It was followed by other Manache Ganpati mandals namely Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulsibaug Ganpati and Kesari Wada Ganpati from different city routes on Kumthekar road and Laxmi road. Residents gathered in large numbers to see the processions.
Other prominent Ganpati mandals such as Dagdusheth Ganpati mandal’s procession started from the main temple. The aarti was performed at the temple, then the Ganpati idol was kept on the “Sheshatmak Rath” decorated with flowers before the procession proceeded towards the Ganeshotsav pandal near Datta Mandir on Shivaji road.
Convicts’ creations
Inmates of Yerawada Central Prison in Pune carved out beautiful and ecofriendly idols of lord Ganesh which attracted many customers. According to the jail authorities, this was the first time that inmates of the central prison prepared these idols and placed for sale at the jail industry retail shop where products such as wooden furniture, carpets, linens, chappals, artefacts and clothing, made by the prisoners are also displayed.