E-Paper
No immersion procession during Ganesh festival this year: Pune mandals assure CM
Ganesh mandals from Pune decided to cooperate with the state government and cancel the last day’s immersion procession which attracts around five lakh people to the city.
Ganesh mandals in Pune will not carry out immersion procession during the 10-day Ganesh festival to be held in August in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday held a meeting with prominent mandals from Pune and Mumbai via video conferencing, where he appealed to the organisers to refrain from carrying out processions as it would not be possible to allow large crowds thronging the Ganeshotsav marquees and advised low-key celebrations with minimum turnout.
Thackeray said that the threat of coronavirus is not yet over and therefore, it will not be possible to celebrate the Ganesh festival with the usual pomp and gaiety. The 10-day festival begins on ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’, which falls on August 22 this year and is a popular festival in Pune and Maharashtra. The pandals set up by various mandals attract thousands of devotees during the 10-day festivities.
Responding to Thackeray’s call, Ganesh mandals from Pune decided to cooperate with the state government and cancel the last day’s immersion procession which attracts around five lakh people to the city. During the immersion procession, thousands of devotees walk miles across narrow city lanes and hence, maintaining social distancing and other safety precautions will be an issue.
Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh; deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Pune’s Dagdusheth Halwai Ganesh Trust’s president Ashok Godse; Akhil Mandai Mandal’s president Anna Thorat; Kasba Ganesh mandal’s Shrikant Shete were part of the meeting organised to discuss law and order situation ahead of the Ganesh festival.
Most Ganesh mandals in Pune have already decided that the celebrations will be low-key. Godse said, “The chief minister appealed to us to celebrate Ganesh festival in a way that tradition is not broken and all rules are also followed. The administration took a stand considering the Covid-19 pandemic that festivals need to be celebrated in a simple manner.”
During the meeting, Thackeray pointed out that because of the pandemic, giving permission for the immersion procession will not be possible. “It is not possible to give permission for the Ganesh processions. We should avoid crowds during such times. A separate meeting will be organised with the ganesh mandals and the administration to decide the do’s and don’ts of the festival,” said Thackeray.
Ajit Pawar said, “We have the dual challenge of Covid-19 and the rainy season now. Keeping the festival tradition intact, we need to make a few changes to the way we celebrate it. Festivals should be celebrated at homes.”
Ganesh mandals representatives from Pune assured the government that they will follow the guidelines given by the state government.
“After Holi, no festival has been celebrated on a large scale this year due to Covid-19. Even the wari, which has a long tradition of 700 years has been forced to change its course. Ganesh festivals have been a part of the social progress and will adhere to norms this year as well.Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we had already decided to celebrate it at a low-level which was appreciated by the government. Now we are awaiting instructions from the state about the do’s and don’ts,” added Godse.
Shrikant Shete of the Kasba Ganpati mandal, said, “Ajit Pawar has promised to organise a separate meeting for Pune mandals. We are going to follow all the rules and regulations framed by the state government. This year’s festival will follow all traditional norms and mandals will avoid attracting crowds.
Anand Saraf, a pandal worker, said, “Ganesh festival played an important role in various movements, whether it was the independence movement or any other social reform. It has kept traditions alive since it was started in 1892 by Lokmanya Tilak. We will maintain the same spirit this year as well.”
