Ganesh Visarjan in Pune (पुणे गणपती विसर्जन)!

Ganesh Visarjan is not an event to be missed, especially if you are in Pune. I was told this earlier, but never quite thought of it much. It's only when I actually participated in the street festival, that I realized how HUGE this was! Not to mention really beautiful and enchanting....

Beautiful decorations at one of the mandals the previous night

Ganesh puja happens throughout the country, but it has special significance in Maharashtra. During the Independence struggle, Tilak decided to use this opportunity to galvanize people and get them all out into the streets to connect them with each other and bring them together with the common cause of Independence. Even after independence, people of Maharashtra kept up with the tradition, and it kept growing in size and scale every year. I am convinced that the festivities from the 1930s and 1940s would dwarf in front of the festivities now a days.

Kids enjoying themselves on the chariot of the God!

Thousands of participants enjoying the drum beats!

The main procession of Ganesh Visarjan in Pune starts from Tilak street and culminates on the Deccan side of Lakdi pul (wood bridge). There are numerous mandals who participate in the festivities, but they all have set order. Order brings in discipline and helps control chaos, but the most important (and historically significant) Ganesha mandals get preference. The top five are always the first five!

This is the last of the ten days and the Ganesha idols are ideally immersed into the river next to the bridge. However, most of the huge idols are never really immersed and only smaller place holder images are immersed. I think its great, else the rivers would be clogged with baked clay and artificial colors used for painting.

A man participating in the famous drumming session on the street!

This year was super special also because of the heavy rains. The Dhols in the procession competed with the loud rains, and in my opinion also won fair and square. The rains actually converted the festival into a huge rain-dance event, with everyone jumping with joy and dancing to the tunes of the dhols. Quite unlike anything I experience before...

So what now? I wait for next year :)

People are everywhere, some climb up on old homes to see the procession

Do you also live in Pune and have an experience from the Ganesh Visarjan to share? Do leave a comment below and let me know :)