After the fervor and the zeal of eleven grand days of the Ganesh festival, the fever of the fest reached its crescendo on the final day of the Anantchaturdashi on Wednesday. The entire city of Pune was drenched through and through in the colors of the fest and the city, keeping with the hundred year old tradition, witnessed the regal immersion procession.
Hundreds of beautiful Ganesh idols of different shapes, colors and forms were going one by one for the immersion; loud acclamations of “Ganapati Bappa Moraya, Pudchya Varshi Lavkar Ya” could be heard in the surroundings and the reverberations of the loud drumbeats were all pervasive.
The roads in and around Mahatma Phule Vegetable Market flooded with people in no time on Wednesday as the immersion procession began at around 10.30 A.M. Irrespective of the fact that it was a working day, oodles of people from Pune and outside came to bid adieu to their dear Lord Ganesh. The city’s favorite deity went back to His heavenly abode; of course with a promise to come back soon next year. People saw Him off with heavy hearts; of course with a promise to celebrate a better Ganesh Festival next year.
The main attractions in the procession were of course the Dhol Tahse and Jhanjh Troupes performing in the streets before the Ganesh idols leading to the immersion ghats. These troupes captivated onlookers with their splendid display of the Maharashtrian culture.
Dhol Tashe Troupes make an integral part of the Ganesh festival in general and the Ganesh Festival in Pune in particular. Joining these troupes is matter of pride and prestige for the youth of Pune. Renowned groups like Shivgarjana and Shivmudra start their practice two months prior to the festival and this practice makes rule the immersion procession every year. This time too these groups made a spectacular performance.
The arrangements at the immersion ghats made by the Pune Municipal Corporation and the police department deserve admiration. Tight security arrangements in the city and at the immersion ghats made the fest a safe and sound celebration all through. Fortunately, the weather too helped the procession go swimmingly. After it rained cats and dogs in many parts of the city on Tuesday, Wednesday brought a smiling sunshine in the skies which made a pretty pleasant climate.
District Guardian Minister Mr. Ajit Pawar and the first citizen of Pune Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal came for the Ganesh Pooja to the Kasba Ganapati pandal before the procession began. Interestingly, many foreigners too were spotted out in many parts of the city. They could be seen capturing the busy moments of the procession into their cameras.
The first manacha’ Ganapati i.e. the privileged Ganapati, the Kasba Ganapati started the proceedings of the procession.Kasba Ganesh reached Alka talkies chowk at 2.15 pm. Over 200 Art of Living volunteers with banners advocating the need of peace and foreign students representing Rotary Club of Sinhagad accompanied the Kasba Ganapati.
The second privileged Ganapati-Tambdi Jogeshwari-reached Alka Talkies an hour later.The New Gandharva brass band and the Shivmudra Dhol troupe were the major attractions here.
Guruji Talim mandal had a huge equipage of 20,000 people, the largest congregation, in this year’s procession. Horses, renowned dhol-tasha group called Shivgarjana, and devotees dancing merrily were the turn ons here.
The Tulshibaug Ganapati, the fourth manacha’ Ganpati, was accompanied by the Swarup Vardhini Pathak. An impressive performance put up by the children playing dhol-tashe, lejhim and jhanjh captivated the onlookers.
The last manacha’ Ganpati, the Kesariwada Ganapati, reached Alka Talkies chowk at around 6 pm. Around 70 children from an NGO in Pune called Dnyanvardhini plyed Dhol Tashe and lejhim in front of their favorite deity.
In a noteworthy contribution during the procession, as many as 800 volunteers from the Chanakya Mandal, one of the renowned educational institutes in Pune, helped the police manage the crowd and guide them accordingly.
In spite of the constant threat posed by the H1N1 virus this year and the fear of the terrorist attacks hovering around, the city of Pune celebrated the Ganesh festival very well.
- Yogesh Sapre
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