Noise pollution: Ganpati celebrations cost this Mumbai artist his hearing

Sagar and his family were bringing Ganpati home for the first time, and a group of five tambour (dholak) players accompanied them as they carried the idol home from Chinchpokli

Five years ago, Sagar Kambli, a resident of Lalbaug, lost 40 per cent hearing in his left ear, after Ganpati celebrations.

Sagar and his family were bringing Ganpati home for the first time, and a group of five tambour (dholak) players accompanied them as they carried the idol home from Chinchpokli (HT)

Sagar and his family were bringing Ganpati home for the first time, and a group of five tambour (dholak) players accompanied them as they carried the idol home from Chinchpokli. Sagar was holding the idol and was surrounded closely by the players. “We asked them to stop as the music was getting very loud, but they carried on,” said his father Prithviraj Kambli, 65, who teaches art to students at Gurkul art school in Dadar, along with his son. The duo has received letters from the Prime Minister’s Office acknowledging their contribution to art.

That night, Sagar felt a strong ringing sound in his ears and started feeling dizzy. The next morning, he visited a hospital where he learned that his left ear had suffered damage. “We were shocked to learn that the damage was permanent. The doctor said the nerve of the inner ear has been damaged,” his father said.

Today, the 32-year-old continues to struggle to cope with the hearing loss. “He has to switch off the fan while he sleeps as the sound bothers him. Most days, he also feels dizzy,” his father said. “A simple incident has changed my son’s life. People don’t take noise pollution seriously, but it’s something one has to guard against.”