Commemorating 125 years of Ganeshotsav celebrations, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have lined up a host of events to bring Puneites an unique and memorable Ganeshotsav .
Addressing a press conference, Mayor Mukta Tilak announced that there will be an inaugural ceremony on August 12 at Shaniwarwada with CM Devendra Fadnavis as the chief Guest.
This ceremony will also see the launch of several other dimensions to this year’s celebration.
“We will be launching the official logo for this year’s Ganeshotsav as well as the mascot, a theme song by Shankar Mahadevan and Udit Narayan, apps and a website specifically for this purpose,” said Tilak.
The events to follow this will be held a few days prior the ten-day festival. On August 20, there will be a bike rally that will start from Shaniwarwada and go across areas like Swargate, Nal Stop, Karve Road, F C Road, Narayan Peth and Kesari Wada. To win an entry in the Guinness Book of Records, the PMC has organised for 3000 people to be play the dhol and tasha at S P College Ground.
Following this, to create another record on August 24, 3000 students will be making their own Ganapati idols from shadu clay at Baburao Sanas Sports Ground. To fill the city with colour, 3500 square kilometres of the city’s walls will be painted by students from art colleges and volunteers.
But what about concerns regarding noise pollution and environmental protection?
When questioned over the decibel rate decided by the PMC for the 3000 people to follow while playing the dhol and tasha, the Mayor responded, “We are yet to process these details. We will check with the decibel limit. We are currently co-ordinating with the heads of the troupes.”
Very recently, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation banned the immersion of idols made from plaster of Paris (PoP) in lakes and natural water bodies. On being asked whether the PMC will follow a similar move to curb pollution in rivers the Mayor said,
“This is something we will look at next year. This year, we will be distributing ammonium bicarbonate packets, that will help dissolve the PoP idols faster.”
So far, the civic body has spent a whopping one crore and 67 lakh rupees on preparations.
As we go to press efforts are still being made to rope in Sachin Tendulkar as the brand ambassador for the festival and give it the much needed fan attention.
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